Winter Wonderland
by erindarroch
Summary: After the Battle of Endor, Han and Leia enjoy some much-needed R&R. Co-written with Justine Graham (justinegraham) for MrsScruffyNerfherder, a.k.a. Kershawk, as part of the HanLeiaSecretSanta fic exchange on Tumblr (2017). [Officially assigned to Justine Graham]. Sexual content.
1. Sleigh bells ring are you listening?

**Winter Wonderland**

By Justine Graham and Erin Darroch

 **A/N:** This story was written for MrsScruffyNerfherder (a.k.a. Kershawk) as part of the HanLeiaSecretSanta fanfic exchange on Tumblr. Mrs. Scruffy wanted "dinner and a holo night...or anything anywhere where they are together and adorable". She also said "yes" to smut. Yay!

So, here ya go, ! We hope you like it. Sorry it's more than four times the recommended upper word limit; we never claimed to have a lot of self-discipline in that regard. ;)

 **Content warning:** this story is rated 'M' for sexual content.

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 **Part 1: Sleigh bells ring...are you listening?**

Looking up from his task of adjusting the pressure in the _Falcon's_ starboard hydraulic strut, Han Solo shielded his eyes from the midday glare of Endor's twin suns and grinned at the sight of Leia Organa stepping carefully through the mountain meadow that served as the ship's temporary landing field. She cleared the tall verge and then lengthened her stride as she approached his position, her petite figure looking trim and attractive in a tailored uniform top, fitted trousers and knee boots. He gave her a little wave and then leaned one shoulder against the upright durasteel housing, absently wiping his grimy hands on the rag that he'd tugged from his belt as he waited for her to cover the short distance. He loved to watch her move, and nothing made him happier these days than to see her coming in his direction with a purposeful stride. He gave her a wide smile.

"Hey, Princess. How'd it go?" he called.

"They're not taking 'no' for an answer," she answered as she drew near, ruefully shaking her braided head. "I've been relieved of duty for the next ten days, whether I like it or not."

Han fought to suppress a smile. "Told you High Command wouldn't budge on that," he replied mildly, wiping the rest of the dirt off on the seat of his trousers before reaching for her. "You've been working non-stop for at least three years that _I_ know of, Sweetheart. And while you were off trying to talk 'em into making an exception for you, I got the same orders."

Leia blinked, and then accepted his extended hands, allowing him to draw her into a loose embrace. She tilted her head back to keep her eyes trained on his face, and furrowed her brow as she slipped her arms around his waist. "But I thought you and Chewie had been tapped to help clear the Moddell Sector," she said, puzzled. "Madine said…."

"I thought so, too," Han said. "But apparently we already did our bit in formulating the strategy and lining up the resources. Rieekan says it's a solid plan, and he's got more than enough bodies to make it work. So, that means ten days' furlough for me and the Wook, starting now." He jerked his chin at the _Falcon_ 's extended boarding ramp. "Chewie's inside, comming Malla to say he's headed home."

"She'll be happy to hear that," Leia smiled and then quirked one fine eyebrow in query. "So...Rieekan was here in person, huh?"

Han nodded. "Yep. Just missed him. We had a pretty good chat about...things." He decided to keep the news of his official commendation to himself for the moment; he found such public recognition mildly embarrassing and, anyway, he had more important matters to attend to at the moment—such as persuading Leia to bum around the galaxy with him for a while, maybe go somewhere special. He gave her a little squeeze. "He also made sure to mention the fact that your services wouldn't be required here for the next ten days, either." He dropped his chin to his chest and gave her a meaningful look. "I think the general's trying to play matchmaker."

Leia laughed softly and then slanted a coy smile up at his face. "Think it'll work?"

"I dunno," Han gave a nonchalant shrug. "Better ask the Rogues. I hear they're still taking bets."

"My money's on 'yes'," Leia whispered, stretching up on tiptoe to offer a kiss. Her lips were soft and warm, and Han took a moment to savour the sweet sensation of Leia pressing her pliant body against his as she gave herself up to the moment. When she subsided, though, it was with a vaguely troubled expression, telling Han that _dutiful Leia_ still lurked under the surface. He sighed.

"But how can we all just...leave?" she queried, confirming his suspicions about her mindset. "There's still so much to be done, and now that the Emperor is dead there are hundreds of worlds in open revolt that need our help." She tipped her face up to his with a look of uncertainty in her deep brown eyes. "People are still fighting and dying for their freedom out there, Han." Her eyes searched his face and her tone was almost plaintive. "I don't think now is the time to be granting leave to a quarter of our personnel."

Han gave a nod of cautious agreement. "I know, Sweetheart." He eyed her for a moment and then ventured carefully, "But there's also literally _millions_ of beings joining up to fight on the Alliance side now, more every day. Rieekan knows his business; if he says they've got enough personnel in reserve to let us take a break, I believe him."

Leia skewed her pursed lips to one side and looked away.

"Take some time off, Sweetheart, please," he said, lowering his voice to his most persuasive rumble and dipping his head down to capture her gaze once more. "You've earned it. All of that stuff is still gonna be here ten days from now, and we'll be back by then to keep doing our part." He placed a light kiss on her forehead. "We're in this for the long-haul, right?"

She looked up, brightening at that comment, as he'd known she would. Nothing made Leia glow like being reminded that he was now as committed as she was to seeing the Republic reinstated and some semblance of order restored to the galaxy. She made a thoughtful-sounding hum of acknowledgement and then gave a little nod.

"I'll admit, I am tired. And some down time with you would be..."

Han started to grin. Leia's cheeks tinted pink and she lowered her eyes, dark lashes veiling her gaze for a moment before she lifted her head and looked at him once more, a smile playing around her lips.

"That would be _really_ good. But I'm not sure I can lounge around idle for ten days," she cautioned, seeing his mounting glee, "while everyone else keeps working."

"That's why we're not gonnastay here, Sweetheart. What good's a furlough if you don't disappear for a while? I gotta take Chewie to Kashyyyk anyway, and after that…," He let his voice trail off on a suggestive note.

Leia arched an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

"Nothing yet," he admitted. "Just playin' around with an idea…." He reached to tuck away a sprig of Leia's hair that had escaped its crown of braids and then dropped a kiss on her forehead. "So, it's settled. We'll leave in the morning. Swing by and drop Chewie off, say hi to the family, and then..." he lowered his voice, "... _then_ we find someplace nice...where we can bealone."

"That sounds like a not-bad plan," Leia allowed, biting the corner of her mouth to quell a smile. "But wouldn't that take some time to arrange?"

Han waggled his eyebrows. "Trust me, Sweetheart. I know a guy. He's got connections, and he owes me _big-time_. He won't let us down."

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	2. In the lane, snow is glistening

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 **Part 2: In the lane, snow is glistening**

As much as Han hated to admit it, Lando had really outdone himself this time.

Perhaps the erstwhile administrator of Cloud City still felt tremendous guilt over delivering the occupants of the _Falcon_ into Vader's waiting hands on Bespin, or maybe he wanted to make up for knocking off the _Falcon_ 's long-range sensor dish in the Battle of Endor. Whatever the motivation, as soon as Lando had learned of Han's wishes to steal away with Leia for a few days of their furlough, he'd sprung into action, tapping his contacts across the galaxy and swiftly arranging for an exclusive, luxury getaway to the tourist planet of Zalari.

Like Hoth, Zalari was a planet of endless winter, but far more picturesque and also lacking the frigid extremes of its more remote counterpart. Furthermore, with a long-standing prohibition of modern technologies and methods of communication in its tourist zones, travelling to Zalari was said to be like taking a step back in time. It purported to be a haven for those seeking a taste of a simpler way of life, and promised an off-the-grid experience like no other.

There was a spaceport, of course, on the outskirts of the bustling capital city of Carrocol, and the more densely populated areas of the planet sported the same modern conveniences as any other spacefaring civilisation. But Han and Leia hadn't come here for a tour of the cities. As soon as they'd docked and secured the _Falcon_ , they'd boarded a sumptuously appointed private shuttle, piloted by an efficient but laconic droid—another of Lando's generous contributions—and left the city far behind.

They'd been travelling in warmth and comfort for the better part of an hour now, much of that in companionable silence as they held hands and gazed out at the stunning, snow-covered landscape, and they were fast approaching the foot of the mountains that loomed large on the horizon. At the speeder terminal there, they would transfer to what Lando had described to Han as a more _rustic_ form of transportation for the journey up the mountain to the tiny village of Koleraine, and the private cabin on the outskirts that would serve as their vacation home for the next five days.

The pitch of the speeder's repulsors changed as the vehicle slowed, and then quieted to a low hum as it cruised to a halt outside of a snow-laden structure made of fieldstone and stripped timber. Leia gave a low laugh and then turned to Han with a wryly cocked eyebrow.

"I cannot _believe_ we're taking a vacationin the ice and snow," she said drily. "Didn't you get enough of the cold on Hoth?"

"Hey," Han said, feigning mild affront. "Hoth wasn't _all_ bad. I happen to have some very fond memories of Echo Base."

Leia snorted. "Name one."

"You," Han replied without missing a beat. "The way you look with snowflakes in your eyelashes. All bundled up in winter gear, with your red nose. Watching you put on that lip stuff..." He mimed the action and then waggled his eyebrows suggestively, grinning as a pink flush tinted Leia's cheeks and she lowered her eyes. "But especially the way you cuddled up to Chewie every chance you got," he added.

That earned him a huff of exasperation and an eye roll. "I did not."

"You did. Kinda made me wish _I_ was a furry walking thermo-convector, too."

Leia laughed. "I suppose Hoth would have been a lot nicer for both of us if we'd worked things out a little sooner," she mused, covering his hand with hers on the seat between them.

"No doubt. We missed out on keeping each other warm then, but now.…" he trailed off with a wink.

Leia dark eyes sparkled as she leaned close to offer a smiling kiss. Then she gave a little gasp, drew back with her eyes wide, and nudged Han's arm. "Oh, Han," she breathed. " _Look_."

Han followed her gaze out the window and felt a wide smile break over his face as he caught sight of the "rustic" transport Lando had arranged. It was an archaic vehicle, all right—that much was true. Coming towards them down the snow-covered lane was an old-fashioned open sleigh, elaborately carved, and painted in an iridescent white paint that shimmered with myriad pastel colours as the sleigh moved, the graceful lines of it trimmed with gleaming metal that flashed as it caught the amber light of the late-afternoon sun. The sled was drawn by an impressive pair of creamy-white equine draught beasts, bedecked in festive finery, whose pale manes and tails streamed behind them as they angled down the wide lane towards the station. Out of the corner of his eye, Han saw Leia's mouth drop open in frank astonishment, and he felt a little spike of triumph as she turned a marvelling gaze in his direction. Impressing the princess had never been an easy task, but he reckoned he was beginning to get the hang of it.

With snorts and whinnies from the powerful equines amid a jingling of tiny harness bells, the sleigh finally pulled to a stop alongside their resting speeder, and then its driver—a native Zalarian, his thick, black-spotted fur striking the perfect contrast with his smart red jacket—hopped down from the driver's seat. Snagging his visored cap from atop his furred head, he opened the passenger door and dipped low in a bow of greeting, as first Han and then Leia stepped out from the speeder, their boots crunching crisply on the snow-covered ground, their breaths misting in the frosty air.

"Welcome, friends, to Zalari," the driver intoned in heavily accented Basic, bowing low once more. Then he straightened, and replaced his cap snugly between his short, rounded ears, meeting their gazes with a lively gleam in his ice-blue eyes.

After they'd murmured their thanks and returned his greeting, Leia introduced herself and then Han.

"I am Ermau the Younger, of Tullichewan," the Zalarian answered in his slightly rasping voice, long white whiskers twitching. "It will be my pleasure to escort you to your private accommodation on the outskirts of Koleraine."

Behind him, the beautiful creatures hitched to the sleigh snorted and shook their massive heads, blinking their dark, long-lashed eyes and then lowering their noses to the ground in search of something to eat. Their flowing white manes were woven through with iridescent ribbons in the same silver and gold as those bedecking the sleigh itself, and strings of bells on their rigging jingled as they flicked their long tails from side to side and pawed at the snowy ground with their hooves. Han slanted a glance at Leia and saw that she was still taking in the entire scene with an expression of mute wonder, her big brown eyes scanning over the graceful curves of the sleigh to the forested foothills and towering snow-covered peaks beyond. When she turned her gaze toward Han once more, her whole face was alight. He grinned back.

Leaving his passengers to beam at one another, Ermau busied himself loading their cases onto the rack beneath the sled, speaking as he worked. "You are welcome to enjoy the hospitality of our transition centre before we depart for the village," he said, gesturing toward the fieldstone structure with one paw. "Rest, and warm yourselves if you like. And, of course," he intoned, giving them a broad wink, "please ensure that you are free of any remaining encumbrances of modern civilization. There are secure lockers available inside, if required."

Leia gave a graceful nod. "We left everything of that sort behind, as instructed, and we're ready to be on our way as soon as you are."

"As you wish." Ermau peeled back furred lips from pointed teeth in the Zalarian equivalent of a smile and then hopped back up into the driver's seat with feline grace, tucking his long tail beneath him as he took up the reins. "Please step up, and make yourselves comfortable," he said over his shoulder. "There are blankets, should you need them, to keep you warm for the journey."

Once his passengers were settled, Ermau urged the draught team forward with a light flick of the reins and a soft click of his tongue. Reining with care, the Zalarian slowly turned the sleigh as they pulled away from the station, and then urged the beasts to pick up the pace as he angled their noses down the tree-lined lane toward the foothills.

Although the sleigh moved at a pace much slower than any speeder, the frigid bite of the wind became more intense as Ermau settled the team into a steady trot. Seeing Leia's involuntary shiver, Han lifted and shook out one of the colourful blankets piled on the floor of the sleigh and then swept it over her, before tucking the edges around her shoulders.

"Better?" he asked with a smile, and then slipped an arm around her and drew her close.

Leia nodded mutely in reply, her face a picture of happiness as she burrowed down into the crook of his sheltering arm. The feeling of her nestling against his body and murmuring her contentment was everything Han had hoped for in this little getaway—and they hadn't even arrived at their final destination yet. Gazing out over her head, Han drew a deep breath of the frosty air and released it in a gratified sigh.

The lane they were travelling seemed to narrow as it cut through the woods, where the air was filled with the sharp scent of pine and the heady aroma of cedar. Everywhere was _snow_ —high banks lined the perimeter of the lane, and a thick, pristine blanket covered the ground in all directions, even deep into the forest on both sides. The branches of the tall evergreens they swept past were heavy with clumps of white that shimmered with jewel-like brilliance, reflecting the last rays of the fading sun. Clouds had begun to move in as they climbed up the slope of the mountain, casting the sky in swirling shades of pearly melon, pink and grey, with darker clouds visible in the distance carrying the promise of more wintry precipitation to come.

As they travelled deeper into the woods and farther up the mountainside, huge conifers came into view, staggered at intervals on both sides of the lane and adorned with iridescent ribbons, ropes of glittering silver garland and luminous orbs in pearlescent rainbow hues.

"How beautiful," Leia breathed.

"Yeah," Han concurred. "But _strange_."

Ermau glanced over his shoulder and gave a hearty laugh. "Ah, yes. Our customs must seem unusual to off-worlders," he said over the jingle of the harness bells. "You have arrived just in time to celebrate Lunasa."

Han glanced down at Leia, who gave a bewildered shrug. "What's Lunasa?" he asked, looking back at the driver.

"Lunasa is the most beloved of all our festival days," Ermau explained, keeping his eyes trained on the path ahead. The sleigh bumped over the crest of a small hill in the terrain and then sped down the next incline, dragged smoothly by the trotting white equines. The cold wind whipped the driver's words over his shoulder. "It marks the time when all three of Zalari's moons align. The result is a celestial display like no other. It is one of the most truly remarkable sights in all the galaxy, and the culmination of this year's event is in two days' time."

Leia tipped her face up to Han's, her dark eyes aglow with wonder and delight. But that wasn't all that was glowing, he noticed with a grin. He tapped a fingertip on the end of her nose and chuckled.

"That red nose," he laughed, "is so damn cute."

"It's so damn _cold_ ," Leia corrected, with a mock glower.

"Awww…" Han dipped down and pressed a kiss to the tip, and then drew back to meet her gaze.

"My cheeks are cold, too," she murmured. He could feel her lips curve into a smile as he leaned in to kiss first one side of her wind-chilled face, and then the other.

"And my chin."

Chuckling, he planted a smooch on her upturned chin, and then nibbled playfully along her jaw, sending her into a fit of helpless laughter. Shrugging one arm free of her blanket, she reached up to slide her hand around the nape of his neck. Han could hear the smile in her voice as she threaded her fingers through his hair and stretched up to offer her mouth to his.

"And my lips," she whispered, "are _freezing_."

Leia's dark lashes fluttered against her cheeks as her soft lips met his, first in tender invitation, then in deepening passion. Wrapped in the warmth of each other, surrounded by the scent of pines and the merry jingling of harness bells, they shared a series of deep, unhurried kisses while the frozen, sun-dappled landscape rushed by unseen.

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	3. A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight

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 **Part 3: A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight...**

The sun was close to setting and a light snow had begun to fall by the time Ermau pulled the team to a halt in front of their cabin. Set back from the lane on a private drive and surrounded by jagged, snow-covered mountain peaks, the quaint timber lodge sat nestled amongst a stand of tall cedars, up a short slope from the shore of a glacial lake, which they could see glinting just behind. The cabin's windows were aglow with golden light, and the bushes and shrubs bordering its deep porch were adorned with tiny artificial luminaries that twinkled in the deepening twilight. While Ermau attended to their cases, Han stepped down from the sleigh on the side with a view of the lake, and then offered a hand up to Leia to do the same. Alighting on the frozen ground, for a moment Leia simply stood beside the sleigh, holding tight to Han's hand while she took in the scenery.

Her expression had turned a little wistful as she disembarked, and Han gave her hand a squeeze, remaining silent and giving her a moment to absorb the view. He'd been to Alderaan a few times in his younger days, back when he and Chewie were still trying to operate legitimately under Imperial rule, and he remembered well the peaceful planet's mountainous terrain and majestic landscapes. Although their climates were vastly different, he could see the similarities inherent in the Zalarian topography. It hadn't even occurred to him that the holiday destination selected for them by Lando might trigger thoughts of Leia's lost homeworld, and he found himself holding his breath, suddenly worried that the stunning panorama would evoke the pain of her profound losses all over again.

But when she lifted her gaze to his, Leia looked thoughtful rather than upset. "This brings back good memories," she said, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze in return. "Happy ones."

Han breathed out a sigh of relief and gave her a warm smile. "Good."

"Begging your pardon," Ermau said as he approached, ducking under the equines' heads as he rounded the front of the sleigh, returning from taking their luggage into the cabin. "Your cases are in the bedroom, and everything appears to be in order. The cabin is well-appointed and fully stocked," he explained, "but should you require anything more, there are two villages quite nearby. One just a short walk in that direction, following along the lane," he said with a sweep of his broad paw to the west, and then swivelled to point towards the wood beyond the cabin. "And the other is up the mountain path to the north. That one is a bit further away, but larger and with a few more amenities. Well worth the extra time it would take to get there."

"Sounds great," Han said with a smile. "Thanks."

"It is my pleasure," the Zalarian said, backing away toward the sleigh with another deep bow. "Please enjoy your stay. I shall return for you in five days' time, as was arranged." Then he hopped back up into the driver's seat, gave a twitch of the reins to signal the team, and the sleigh began to pull away.

As the jingle of bells and the heavy crunch of hooves on snow began to dwindle into the distance, Leia took a step toward the cabin and gave Han's hand an eager tug. "Let's go in."

"Hang on." Han clutched her hand a little tighter, holding her back. "Listen." He cocked his head and paused. "Hear that?"

The faint tinkle of sleigh bells gradually faded away, leaving nothing behind but a hushed silence. It was dusk now and getting darker by the minute as the last of the sunlight began to fade from the sky; only the yellow light pouring through the cabin windows allowed Han to see Leia's face clearly. A light snow continued to fall all around them, miniscule flakes that swirled and drifted in every direction, borne on unseen eddies of frosty air. A few tiny sparkles caught in Leia's hair and eyelashes, and Han smiled.

Leia was still listening intently, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What?" she said at length. "I don't hear anything at all."

"Exactly." Han grinned, triumphant. "No fighters overhead. No droids. No nosy Ewoks or grumpy Wookiees. No parade of people coming and going, wanting a piece of you, or trying to give _me_ orders." He sighed happily. "Nothin' here but you and me, Sweetheart."

Leia gave a low laugh and tipped her face up to his as he leaned down. They'd already kissed about a hundred times since they'd docked the _Falcon_ , Han reckoned, but having the liberty to indulge in such intimate exchanges whenever they wanted was still something of a novelty between them and, besides, he didn't think he'd ever get enough of feeling Leia's soft lips moving sensuously against his. Every lingering kiss was a promise, too, of more intimate moments yet to come, and he could hardly keep his mind off the prospect.

"You and me—and a metre and a half of snow," Leia quipped when they finally parted, their mingled breaths turning to frosty clouds in the air between them. She hugged her arms around herself and shivered. "I'm freezing."

Han leaned back to assess her attire with a critical eye, and frowned. "First thing we need to do is find you some warmer clothes," he said, and then looped an arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the cabin.

They followed the short trail of Ermau's footprints to the front of the cabin and climbed the stairs, then angled across the deep porch, stamping the caked snow from their boots as they approached the wooden front door.

"That jacket of yours ain't gonna cut it at this altitude," Han observed, pushing open the heavy door, and then gesturing for Leia to go ahead.

"It was all the quartermaster could find on such short notice," Leia explained as she slipped past him and into the warm space beyond. "He said it's made with alcomase and Vectinian spider silk, so it should be thermal, but—." She paused in the tiny vestibule just beyond the threshold, and Han heard her sharp intake of breath. "Oh, my _stars_."

As the door clicked shut behind him, Han stepped around Leia's transfixed form to take in the luxurious features of the small lodge. Decorated in warm autumnal hues, the cosy room was dominated by a panoramic window that looked out onto the glacial lake they'd glimpsed on arrival, its deep blue water framed by snow-laced evergreens and the majestic mountains beyond. The last rays of the setting sun kissed the edges of the easternmost ridges, limning them in gold and casting a glittery shimmer over the darkening water. Dragging his gaze away from the extraordinary view, Han took in the broad fireplace positioned on the rightmost wall of the great room, an impressive feature that looked to have been crafted from rough-hewn fieldstone. There were a few pieces of comfortable-looking furniture arranged before the fire; two plush armchairs and a small sofa, bracketed by end tables and a couple of lamps. The room's furnishings, while made to _look_ rustic at first glance, were quite the opposite to Han's discerning eye; fine craftsmanship was evident in every detail and he was sure there must be some hidden technology in place to regulate the temperature, which was pleasantly warm. The rich fabrics of the chairs, sofa and cushions had clearly been selected not just for aesthetic reasons, but with comfort in mind, giving the room a cosy and inviting look—right down to the thick, sumptuous hearth rug that stretched from one edge of the low stone plinth to the other.

Han's eyes were drawn to the low fire crackling in the fireplace, and then up to the bottle of wine, adorned with a luminous white bow, which sat between two crystal flutes atop a silver tray on the mantle. He gave a low chuckle and a disbelieving shake of his head. Trust Lando to pull out all the stops and turn a simple favour into something right over the top. Han reckoned his old buddy was still apologizing—whether for the slimy double-cross in Cloud City or for the sloppy flying over Endor, he wasn't quite sure. But it didn't matter. The bottom line was that Han was going to get to spend the next five days in this luxurious setting. With Leia. _Alone._ He couldn't stop grinning. While his mind was still busy pondering over the possibilities of that luxurious-looking rug, Leia gave a soft laugh and bumped his arm with her own.

"And there's even a festival tree, right here in the cabin."

Tucked into the corner to the left of the fireplace, the tall fir was decorated from top to bottom with the same pearlescent orbs and silvery garland as its outdoor equivalents, although on a somewhat smaller scale, and illuminated with hundreds of softly glowing iridescent lights strung throughout its dense branches. Han raised a curious eyebrow.

"I noticed. They're even stranger-looking indoors," he opined.

"It _is_ strange," Leia agreed, laughing, "But it's lovely. All of it is. The cabin, the fireplace, the view…." She took a few steps forward, and then looked back at Han. "And I know it's been a while since I've seen one, but that looks like an _actual_ kitchen over there." There was a spark of excitement in her dark eyes, and more than a little curiosity. "I'm going to go look at the bedroom, and find the 'fresher. Why don't you go check out what's in the chiller, and we'll plan what to make for dinner?"

Han couldn't help but smile at her light-hearted ease. On the heels of a frantically busy and exhausting few months, it was deeply satisfying to see Leia so relaxed, and fairly glowing with anticipation over such small pleasures as having access to a real kitchen and the prospect of preparing a meal together. He had certain other collaborative activities in mind for the evening ahead, but if she wanted to bake or boil something first, he was game. They had all night—in fact, five whole nights ahead of them in which to rest, relax and get reacquainted on a level they hadn't been able to enjoy since they'd journeyed to Bespin together, so many months before.

"Sweetheart, that sounds like a great idea," he said and then watched as Leia turned and crossed to the other side of the cosy room, slipping through a carved-wood door just to the right of the fireplace.

While the princess explored the rooms on the right-hand side of the small cabin, Han veered left, venturing into the open-plan kitchen and then pausing to inspect the contents of the oversized chiller. It was a gargantuan thing, by Han's standards, accustomed as he was to the _Falcon_ 's more compact appliances. This thing was huge, and every brightly lit shelf within it was piled high with fresh food: cheeses and meats, fruits and vegetables of every description. "What do you feel like?" he called over his shoulder.

" _Steak_ ," Leia called back without hesitation. "A thick, juicy nerf steak as big as your hand." An exaggerated groan of longing drifted through the partially open door. "With _real_ taberroot, not the rehydrated kind, and some actual butter. Fresh greens of some kind." She poked her head through the door and added. "And chocolate _anything_ for dessert."

"I'll see what I can do," Han grinned, and turned back to continue scouring the kitchen for the necessary ingredients as Leia disappeared back into the bedroom.

As Ermau had promised, both the chiller and the cabinets were well-stocked, but not quite complete enough to produce the exact meal that Leia was craving. He was taking inventory of the spices in one of the upper cabinets when he heard Leia's soft footfalls behind him.

"Bad news, Sweetheart," he said as he turned away from the cabinet. "There's game fowl, fish and some kind of crustacean in the chiller, but no nerf. Maybe I can go—".

His thought died on his lips when he caught sight of Leia standing at the open threshold of the kitchen beaming a bright smile and wrapped in a stylish shin-length coat fashioned from brushed wool in a pretty shade of smoky blue-grey. High-necked and fastened down the centre with a row of gleaming silver buttons, the coat's cuffs, cowl and lower hem were finished with fluffy white trim, and as Leia spread her arms wide and turned in a slow circle, Han could see the detailed embroidery that adorned its seams. The coat looked soft and warm, and accentuated the princess's petite frame as if it had been especially tailored just for her.

Han shook off his momentary speechlessness and closed his gaping mouth. "Wow."

"That was my first reaction, too," Leia smiled.

"But where... _ah_." Han gave an incredulous shake of his head as realization dawned. "Lando."

Leia nodded. "He seems to have thought of everything. There are sweaters, skirts, and boots for me...and a few things for you, as well. We'll really have to thank him when we get back."

"Yeah," he muttered, eyeing the way the coat hugged Leia's curves. "I wonder if he's got _my_ measurements down pat, too". He shrugged one shoulder. "Well, that solves the problem of making sure you're warm enough, anyway, and it gives me an idea."

"What's that?" Leia asked, unfastening the polished buttons and slipping the coat from her shoulders.

"Now that we know you won't freeze out there, why don't we take a walk up to the village, check out the markets and find ourselves a couple of nerf steaks? We can take our time, wander around and see some of the sights along the way."

Leia paused for a moment, tapping a finger on her chin with an exaggerated expression of deep contemplation. " _Hmmm._ A walk in the moonlight, in a winter paradise with snow gently falling…."

"And a gorgeous guy at your side…."

Leia snorted a laugh. "Don't you mean a 'scruffy-looking ner—

"Hey, I shaved!" Han interjected, feigning indignation. "And I traded half a case of Mad Mrelf for this coat." He straightened the cuffs of the dun-coloured jacket he wore. "I think it looks all right." He shot Leia a glance.

The princess made an effort to school her features, but she couldn't hide her amusement. She sidled closer, and then leaned in as if to offer a kiss. Han lowered his head to meet it, but stopped short when he saw the meaningful gleam in her eye.

Quirking up one corner of his mouth in wry acknowledgement of her silent but eloquent communication, he rolled his eyes and then heaved a beleaguered sigh. "Alright, but if I gotta change my clothes before we can be seen in public together, then somebody owes me a few bottles of cheap liquor," he warned.

"Take it up with the guy who foisted that ugly thing off on you."

Han made a sour face and then closed the distance between their lips with a quick kiss before taking a step back and swivelling around in the direction of the bedroom. "Fine. I'll see what passes for high fashion according to Lando Calrissian. But I'm tellin' you now, Princess, I ain't wearin' no cape."

Leia's peals of laughter followed him out of the room.

-:¦:-:¦:-:¦:-


	4. Walking in a winter wonderland

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 **Part 4: Walking in a winter wonderland…**

The broad footpath that stretched into the woods beyond their cabin was already blanketed with a fresh layer of snow by the time they changed into their new clothes, donned boots and coats, and set out arm-in-arm on their wintry excursion. Feeling the reassuring grip of her stylish new knee-high boots on the soft snow underfoot made Leia grateful all over again for Lando's thoughtful arrangements—and for his sartorial acumen. She was sure that none of the new civilian footwear she'd acquired in the few months since the battle of Endor would have been of any use whatsoever in the snowy conditions, selected as they'd been for political visits and formal occasions. She didn't think her beautiful new full-skirted dress and long coat would look very smart paired with combat boots, either.

As they made their way up the slight incline through the woods, Leia tilted her head back to peer up at the strip of sky visible through the gap in the trees. The swathe of deep indigo was already aglow with the silver light of Zalari's three converging moons, their combined power brilliant enough to cut through the thin cover of cloud and illuminate the gently ascending path. Although the evergreen forest through which they walked was deep in shadow on either side, the haze of moonlight poured down through the gap overhead to transform the broad ribbon of virgin snow into a glittering white laneway that stretched away before them. As they walked along, Leia slipped one hand out of its soft leather glove to lace her fingers with Han's, craving the feel of his skin even if it meant exposing herself to the cold. But his large hand easily enveloped her smaller one, keeping it perfectly warm despite the chill.

It was such a simple pleasure, holding hands; the sort of romantic indulgence they'd scarcely had time for in their unconventional courtship so far. Prior to the calamitous events on Ord Mantell, their growing closeness had been kept by tacit agreement quite private, which meant no public displays of affection that might draw comment or speculation from the rabble in Rogue Squadron. After Ord Mantell, however, all affection had been off the table. Leia winced inwardly to recall the venomous exchanges that had passed between them during those painful weeks, both of them feeling, for different reasons, frustrated, hurt and defensive. They'd seemed so far apart then; their differences wholly irreconcilable, and the prospect of their relationship recovering—never mind developing any further—quite remote. Indeed, she'd felt nothing but a plunging sense of horror in the aftermath of their escape from Hoth, when she realised that the failure of the _Falcon_ 's hyperdrive meant that she was going to be trapped with Han in a confined space for a very long time. Funny, she mused with an inward chuckle, how quickly and completely her perspective could change.

She gave Han a sideways glance as they crunched along the snowy path together hand-in-hand, and smiled with mingled amusement and appreciation. Lando had his friend's true measurements down pat, all right. Han was always handsome in her eyes, but he looked exceptionally good tonight; his new charcoal-grey woollen coat was a perfect fit, accentuating the strong lines of his masculine frame, and it featured a high collar that framed his face and turned his hazel eyes an alluring shade of warm grey to match. There was also a velvety woollen scarf in a shade of purple that Leia adored, reminiscent of the flowering _Kibo_ on Yavin 4. But, despite her assurances that it looked quite stylish, Han had grumbled as she stretched up on tiptoe and wound it around his neck, convinced that he could hear Lando snickering about it all the way from Endor.

Leia couldn't remember a time when she'd felt so relaxed or so content. She stole glimpses of Han's profile as they walked, his handsome features limned in silver moonlight, with misty clouds of his breath swirling around his head, and felt a surge of emotion so strong it nearly took her breath away. He was _here_ —not trapped in carbonite and helpless in the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, not lost forever in the wilds of space. The six months she'd spent desperately searching for him seemed like a distant nightmare now, though she'd lived through every hellish moment of that period, surviving on very little sleep, and sometimes teetering on the edge of despair. She felt a thrill of joy every time she remembered that it was _over_ and he was finally home, safe and sound. And now theywere _here_ , together and happy through battles hard fought and even harder won. It still felt a little surreal. She squeezed his hand, feeling the answering tightening of his fingers around hers as reassuring proof that this moment was truly happening, and not just some wonderful dream.

Han cast a glance her way as he walked, and flashed a lopsided smile. His cheeks were flushed from the cold, and his hair tousled from the blustery wind, but he looked happy. "You okay, Princess?" he queried. "Little legs keeping up alright?"

She gave him a mock-sour smile. "I can outlast you, Flyboy, and you know it," she retorted.

Han chuckled, tacitly acknowledging the truth of her assertion.

Leia drew a deep breath of the frosty air and blew it out as they mounted a slight rise in the forest path. "I was just thinking how far we've come," she ventured.

Han glanced over his shoulder at the line of their footprints in the moonlit snow. "Maybe half a kilometre so far, give or take."

Leia gave a snort and nudged him with her elbow. "Smart-ass."

Han laughed, and then sobered slightly. "I know what you mean, Sweetheart. And trust me, I've gotta pinch myself every now and then."

"Pinch _yourself_? Where's the fun in that?" she said in a teasing tone.

Han laughed at her gibe, and as his chuckles faded, she released his hand and linked her arm through his, hugging him a little closer to her side as they strolled along the snowy lane. "Seriously, though. Who would've dreamed that we would end up like this?"

"Me," Han shrugged. "All the time."

Leia felt a rush of pure pleasure at hearing those words and beamed a smile in his direction, which he returned with a wink. Han's newfound candour was one of the best things about the present state of their relationship, she mused. It turned out that much of his apparently self-serving, conceited and irascible behaviour was mere pretense; a persona adopted to disguise his true nature and a defence mechanism that kept most people at arm's length. In private, Leia had discovered, his traits were quite the opposite of those he displayed—and he could be downright _mushy_ when they were alone together. It was a side of him that she found endlessly amusing, and one that she adored; she knew that he shared that vulnerable aspect of himself only with her, and it was a secret she would never reveal to anyone else. She couldn't stop smiling at the prospect of having him all to herself for a while, free from distraction and out of range of the curious stares of their Alliance colleagues. She held that promise close to her heart as they strolled along without speaking, each lost for a while in private thoughts.

Up ahead, Leia began to notice flashes of light and colour amid the surrounding trees, sparkling streaks that seemed to dart back and forth across the trail in front of them, and twinkling flares that briefly illuminated the dark undergrowth to either side.

"Do you see that?" she asked, her voice rising in wonder. "How beautiful."

"Yeah," Han replied. "Moves like some kind of bird."

"But they're so tiny," Leia breathed.

She came to a halt, holding up her free hand in a silent gesture for Han to do the same, and strained to listen. The quiet hum that she heard accompanying the flickers of movement all around them confirmed the truth of Han's guess—they _were_ birds, miniscule creatures whose rapid movement disallowed any clear glimpses of them, beyond the flash of iridescent wings that reflected cobalt blue and silver in the bright light of the converging moons. The effect was magical, and unlike anything Leia had ever seen. She exchanged broad smiles with Han as they resumed their journey, rejoicing in the sheer beauty of the environment.

The remainder of the walk to the tree line was spent in alternating moments of companionable conversation and peaceful silence, listening to the soft susurration of the wind in the trees, the occasional chitter of a nocturnal creature deep in the woods beyond the path, and the crunch of their booted feet on snow. At the end of the trail, the forest gave way to a picturesque vista of a snow-covered meadow, bordered by the twinkling lights of the village just beyond, all framed by majestic mountain peaks, silhouetted against the fading radiance of the sunset sky.

The meadow itself was aglow with festive lights and more of the decorated trees, and it was alive with activity. To their left, in the distance, there was an old-fashioned ice rink from which sounds of merriment drifted up into the frosty night air to float across the meadow as a few dozen skaters—natives, humans and a handful of other humanoid species—wobbled and glided and laughed their way around the ice. Straight ahead, a group of young Zalarians had divided themselves into camps and were busily stockpiling snowballs, shouting and taunting one another in excited voices across an invisible boundary. And on the right, closest to the footpath that curved around the edge of the meadow and continued on toward the village, a handful of fuzzy kits were grunting and laughing as they rolled snow into huge, boulder-sized balls.

As they passed by the group nearest the path, the sound of growling felinoid laughter and the snippets of conversation in their native tongue that reached Leia's ears sounded so carefree and exuberant that she couldn't help but pause for a moment to watch.

"Look, Han," she said with a nod in their direction. "I think they're making snowmen."

The kits had split into two groups of three, and were hefting their giant balls of snow into stacks. As they worked, Leia could see them sneaking glances at one another's efforts, giggling and whispering behind their paws.

"Looks like a competition. Tryin' to outdo each other," Han observed, and then gave a soft chuff of laughter. "I saw the Rogues do somethin' like that on Hoth once."

Leia shot him a dubious glance. "The Rogues made _snowmen_?"

"Sort of," he grinned. "Only theirs were a little more...uh, suggestive."

"Why does that _not_ surprise me," Leia said drily. "Uh-oh. Looks like someone is unhappy."

As they watched, one of the younger kits stomped away from her group's partially-finished snowman, and then plopped down in the snow just a few metres away from where Leia and Han were standing. She grumbled as she kicked at the snow with her paws, and her downturned ears and drooping whiskers made it obvious that she didn't share the enthusiasm of the others on her team.

Curious, Leia released Han's arm and travelled a bit further along, coming to a stop closer to where the little Zalarian sat and then sank into a crouch at the border of the path, her full skirts billowing and then settling around her as she leaned in to catch the young kit's eye.

"Hello there," she called out. "Is something wrong?"

Nose twitching, the child turned and tipped her face to Leia's with the Zalarian rendition of a pout dragging down her feline features. "Gonna lose, that's what wrong," she groused in youthfully high-pitched, sibilant Basic.

Leia straightened to her full height once more as Han's deep laugh rumbled over her shoulder. "How are you so sure?" he asked, stepping up to retake his position at Leia's side.

The Zalarian flicked her gaze up to Han's with a roll of her azure eyes and a _don't-you-know-anything_ expression. "Look," she said with a note of frustration, gesturing with one spotted paw toward the other group, who had banded together to heave the last heavy ball atop their two-tiered stack. "They're all way bigger than us. We built it as tall as we could, but now we can't reach high enough to put the last one on." Her long tail swished back and forth, leaving a fan-shaped pattern in the snow. "It's not fair."

Leia glanced downward, studying her own legs clad only in tights under her dress and coat. Her boots seemed sturdy enough to allow her to venture out into the deep snow and lend the kids a helping hand, but she stood barely a head taller than the largest of the Zalarian kits herself; she was not likely to offer them much of an advantage. She cast Han a meaningful sideways glance.

He rolled his eyes but she could see a hint of a smile playing around his lips.

"Well, what about _me_? I'm tall enough, ain't I?" he asked with a smirk, pulling out the thermal gloves he'd stuffed in his pockets before they left the cabin.

The little Zalarian's bright blue eyes went wide and her white whiskers twitched in excitement. Her gaze tracked up Han's towering height from the tip of his boots to the top of his head, and then she bared her glistening white teeth in a bright smile. "You sure are!" she exclaimed as she leapt to her feet. Then she clasped her paws together under her furry chin, fixing Han with an expression full of wild hope. "Do you wanna be on our team, mister?"

"Sure, kid."

The kit released a happy yowl as she threw both arms in the air and bounced up and down on the balls of her furry feet. "Let's go!" she called, darting with renewed energy toward her friends.

"C'mon, Sweetheart," Han said to Leia. He tugged on one of his gloves and then the other, and gave her a wink. "You get to supervise, make sure we ain't putting its head on lopsided." He extended a hand to steady her as she stepped over the mound of deeper snow that bordered the path, and then led the way to the boot-flattened area where the shorter of the two snowmen stood. Two of the kids pushed a heavy snowball as close as they could and then, with Leia's direction, Han lifted and carefully lowered it on top of the stack.

"Oh no," one of the kits wailed. "We forgot his ears!"

Han chuckled and leaned down to scoop up some snow, then packed it together into a shape roughly resembling the Zalarians' rounded pinnae, flattening the bottom edge before setting the feature carefully into position. He soon had the second ear shaped and fixed to the other side of the rounded snowball, and then stepped back to admire his work. With the final touches in place, the snowman stood almost as tall as Han, and the kits were delighted. They cheered, then bounced and tumbled all around the squat figure for a moment, before scrambling around to gather up small stones and a few sticks to complete their construction.

After helping to position the eyes, nose and mouth on the finished creation, and inserting a couple of long twigs into its sides to serve as arms, with a longer branch to act as a tail, Han stepped back with his hands on his hips, tapping his boot on the frozen ground with a contemplative air.

"I dunno," he said in a dubious tone. "Something's missing." He snapped his fingers, and then tugged the purple scarf from around his own neck and looped it around the snowman's instead.

"There," he said, tying the ends with a flourish. "Much better."

"Oh, Han," Leia chastised, though she struggled to suppress a laugh.

"What?" he said with wide-eyed innocence.

"Trust you to find an excuse to get rid of that scarf."

"It's not an excuse," Han said, directing a wink at the kits. "Don't want him to get cold, do we?" He grinned and stamped his feet to shake away the snow still clinging to the legs of his trousers. "Well, it looks like he's got everything he needs now," he said to the gambolling youngsters. "And it's starting to snow again. We'd better be heading over to the village."

There was a chorus of cheers and thanks from the small crowd, and a couple of the younger kits began leaping around with their tongues out, trying to catch flakes of snow as they drifted, swirling, through the air.

"Your wife looks so pretty," piped up the young female they'd first encountered by the path. She peered up at Han, her blue eyes twinkling. "Are you going on a date?"

Leia met Han's amused gaze over the top of the kits' furred heads, and smiled. She hadn't thought of it in those terms before, but she supposed this probably _was_ the closest thing to a real date they'd ever experienced. In the few months since the Alliance victory at Endor, they'd spent as much time together as they could possibly manage, but never had they been afforded the luxury of an evening out. She thought about their plans to cook dinner together later and smiled. Up until now, they'd rarely shared a meal that wasn't field rations, or some dubious dish cobbled together from the _Falcon_ 's stores or mass-prepared in the mess hall. So many of the meals they'd eaten together over the years had been scarfed hastily while keeping vigilant for trouble during missions—and they'd certainly never had the opportunity to dine at leisure, wearing nice civilian clothes. Han's knowing smile told her that the realization wasn't lost on him, either.

"Don't be such a nosy fluff-head," said one of the older children, giving the little one's tail a sharp tug. "If they _are_ on a date, they don't need you buggin' 'em about it."

Han reached down and ruffled the fur between the kit's pert, rounded ears. "I don't mind you asking," he said. "Now that you mention it, I guess we are on a date. But we ain't married." He glanced back at Leia, the corner of his mobile mouth quirking up into a crooked smile. "Not yet, anyway."

The little Zalarian fixed her ice-blue eyes on Han with a curious tilt of her head and a twitch of her whiskers. "Are you gonna ask her?"

Leia looked away, feigning concentration on adjusting the snowman's squat root-vegetable nose as she tried very hard not to laugh, while Han raised a curious eyebrow.

"You think I should?" he said.

"Yeah!" The excited kits clamoured around, speaking all at once in a jumble of Basic and Zalari, flicking their long tails and clapping their paws.

"Maybe _she_ oughta ask _me_ ," Han ventured, slanting another glance at Leia, which she studiously ignored while carefully attending to the drape of the snowman's purple scarf.

The young female Zalarian huffed impatiently at Han's suggestion. "If _you_ wait around for _her,_ and _she_ waits around for _you_ , you ain't _never_ gonna get married," she pointed out acerbically, as if explaining something that should have been perfectly obvious to even the dimmest simpleton.

"Ah," Han nodded down at the kit in solemn understanding. "Guess one of us just needs to take the plunge, huh?" He looked over at Leia again and she lifted her gaze to his this time, biting her lip against the smile that kept trying to break free. Han's answering grin filled her with a flush of pure happiness.

"My mother's a magistrate," one of the kits announced proudly. "She marries people all the time."

Han dragged his eyes away from Leia's face and made a good show of looking suitably impressed at the kit's boast. "Is that right?"

" _Uh huh_. I'm going to be one too. I already know all the words to say and everything."

"You do, huh?" Han stripped off his gloves and stuffed them back into his coat pockets. "What's your name, kid?"

"I'm Joro," the kit said, patting his furry chest, and then pointed at the little female. "She's Nakuru, and that's Ikuti."

Han caught Leia's eye with a sly wink that said _play along_ , and then addressed the Zalarian kit once more. "Tell you what, then, Joro. You wanna get in some practice?"

The kit grew wide-eyed. "Me?"

"Sure. You already know the words, right? You could do the job, if you want. Marry us tonight." Then he turned his gaze back to Leia. "That is, if you want to, Sweetheart."

"Well, I don't _usually_ get married on a first date," Leia smiled. "But in this case, I suppose I could make an exception."

Young Nakuru could barely contain her delight. She bounced up and down on the spot, swishing her long tail with glee, and then came to a dead stop with a sharp intake of breath. "Oh! We need some flowers!"

Ikuti rolled his azure eyes and huffed. "Where are we gonna get _flowers?_ And they don't need them to get married, anyway."

"Yes, they do," Nakuru insisted. She glanced around the area at her feet, and then bent to pick up a few discarded twigs that had been rejected as part of the snowman's finishing touches. After snapping off the long ends and gathering the remainder into a bunch, she stretched up to hand Leia her makeshift bouquet. "There," she said, beaming with obvious pride at her ingenuity. "Just pretend they're snow lilies!"

"They're lovely." Leia murmured. "Thank you, Nakuru."

Out of the corner of her eye, Leia could see that the size of their audience had grown. The other group of kits as well as a few of the snowball warriors from farther afield had gathered in a wide half-circle around the snowman to watch the curious exchange between the off-worlders and their peers. The snowfall had grown a little heavier as they talked, sprinkling them all with thousands of sparkles that clung to clothes and fur, although the kits appeared to take no notice.

"Okay, Leia's got her flowers," Han said. "What's next?"

Ikuti tilted his head to the side and scratched his fluffy chin as he gave the question careful thought. "Maybe you should stand in front of the snowman, like _he's_ the magistrate."

"Yeah," Joro concurred. "It looks more real that way. And you gotta hold hands."

"If you say so," Han said with an affable shrug. He reached for Leia's hand as they moved into position, while Leia tried for the third time in as many minutes not to dissolve into giddy laughter.

"Now what?" Han wanted to know.

"Now you say some stuff about how you'll love each other _forever_ ," Nakuru interjected in a dreamy tone, sidling around so that she could keep their faces in view.

Leia did laugh, then. She couldn't help it; the little Zalarian looked enchanted, watching the scene with a look of starry-eyed delight that was utterly adorable. Leia quickly caught herself, though, and cleared her throat. "Sorry," she muttered, and then clasped her twig bouquet primly in front of her and adopted a serious expression.

"We'll save all that mushy stuff for later," Han demurred with a wink at Leia. "What does his Honour say next?"

"Uhhhh…." Joro hesitated, shuffling his snow-covered paws. He scratched behind one ear with a stubby paw, clearly drawing a blank on the details of the formal ceremony he'd claimed to know. "Uhh...do you wanna marry her?" he improvised.

Han focused his hazel eyes on Leia and, although there was still an air of merriment about his expression, his gaze was tender. "I do," he said gruffly. "I want that very much."

"Okay, good. And, uh, Miss?" the young kit queried, peering up at Leia. "Do you wanna marry him?"

"Yes, I do," she murmured, holding Han's gaze and pouring all of her heart into the simple phrase. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and smiled as his fingers tightened around hers in return. All around them, the snow began to fall in earnest, blurring the distant lights that bordered the meadow and the luminous orbs that adorned the tall trees.

"Then that's it! You're married!" Joro exclaimed.

Han and Leia exchanged looks of surprise and then broke apart, laughing.

"That's _it_?" Leia wondered aloud, not bothering to hide her disappointment.

"Yeah, somehow I expected something a little more...involved," Han said, and then gave a shrug. "Okay, kids, thanks. Good job. I guess my 'wife' and I will be on our way."

" _Nuh-uh_ ," Nakuru objected with a shake of her fluffy head. "You can't leave. It's not done 'til you kiss."

Echoes of agreement rippled through the rest of the Zalarian youth assembled, and one of them started a chant that grew louder as the kits closed in around them.

Han turned to Leia with a lopsided grin. "Better give 'em what they want, Sweetheart," he drawled, dipping his head down. "Or we're never getting out of here."

"Wait," Leia said, and then gestured for Nakuru to come closer. "You have the most important job of all," she said, bending down to the little kit's level. "Here." She pressed the twig bouquet into the Zalarian's small paw, and winked. "Hold the bouquet, while I make this official."

Leia gently patted the top of the kit's furred head as her feline features lit up in a wide, toothy grin. Then she straightened to face Han once more, wound her arms around his neck, and stretched up to meet him halfway.

-:¦:-:¦:-:¦:-


	5. Later on, we'll conspire

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 **A/N:** This chapter is where the story earns its 'mature' rating, for sexual content and a tiny bit of language.

 **Part 5: Later on, we'll conspire…**

Gathering her unbound hair and securing it in a messy knot at the back of her head, Leia emerged from the bedroom dressed in cosy sleepwear that she'd chosen from among Lando's generous offerings. The fluffy pyjamas certainly weren't the most alluring things she'd ever worn, she mused, catching a glimpse of herself reflected in the glassine picture window to her right as she stepped into the living room. But after returning chilled to the bone and slightly damp following their snowy walk from the village, and finally feeling warm thanks to a long, hot shower, Leia couldn't imagine anything better than slipping into soft flannel and fleece. She silently thanked Lando for his decorum in not including anything in the way of more intimate lingerie in his selections; style expert or not, the thought of Han's friend choosing racy apparel for her was unsettling, and she didn't think Han would have enjoyed it much, either.

She smiled at the sound of soft music drifting through the room as she crossed into the open sitting area. Trust Han to quickly sort out how to operate the antiquated audio device he'd found, tucked away in a drawer of one of the side tables. As they'd both suspected when they first looked it over, the old-fashioned apparatus played a loop of shapeless but pleasant tunes, mood music that was likely to be pleasing to the ears of human and non-human alike, enough to augment the cheerful ambience without detracting from the rustic atmosphere and glorious natural views.

At Leia's behest, Han had gone to shower and change into his own comfortable sleepwear as soon as they'd arrived, while she busied herself stoking the smouldering fire that had nearly snuffed itself out during their time away. She had thoroughly enjoyed the task, relishing the opportunity to practise new skills she'd acquired by observing the clever Ewoks who kept their Endor flames burning day and night. She was delighted now to see her efforts rewarded; the rekindled fire crackled merrily in the open hearth, its flickering flames melding with the soft glow of the festive tree lights to give the entire scene a cosy and decidedly romantic feel.

She paused in the centre of the open living area, midway between the bedroom door and the open-plan kitchen, and admired the view—but it wasn't the light snowfall on the other side of the large window that caught her eye, nor the dark and lovely lake glimmering under the light of Zalarian moons that garnered her attention. Her gaze was instead drawn to Han.

He stood at the kitchen counter with his back to her, busily working on something she couldn't quite glimpse from her vantage point. She suspected he was concocting the hot beverage he'd mentioned as they wandered through the village market, a drink he would only describe as 'a Corellian Special' that was guaranteed to warm her up from the inside out. He didn't appear to have noticed her approach, clad as she was in woolly socks that made no sound at all on the plush carpet beneath her feet.

Taking advantage of his preoccupation, Leia allowed her eyes to roam unabashedly over his figure, from the top of his rumpled head down to his sock-clad feet, revelling in the novel and ineffably delicious sight of his tall, lean body in slouchy sleepwear. The soft cotton shirt he wore was loose over grey sleep pants that rode low on his narrow hips, and Leia found her gaze lingering there, biting her lip as she watched him move.

He turned slightly to one side, presenting Leia with a profile view as he placed a saucepan atop the flat glassine surface of the cook top, and she released a breath she hadn't even realised she was holding. The way Han filled out a pair of sleep pants was a feast for the eyes, she noted; a tantalizing visual treat more tempting than the variety of exotic ingredients laid out before him, or the enticing scent of rich chocolate that drifted up to meet her as she moved a little closer.

Han caught sight of her then, turning his face to hers with a warm smile, his eyes a rich mosaic of green, russet and gold under the soft lights of the kitchen.

"Hey, Sweetheart," he greeted, and the low, rumbling timbre of his voice made every hair on her body try to stand at attention. He reached for a whisk beside the cook top, apparently oblivious to the effect he was having on her, and began stirring the pot with a flick of his wrist. "Good timing. I can't walk away from this now that I've started, or it'll be one big mess. Grab me the bottle of Savareen brandy we bought, would you? I think I left it on the dining table."

"Sure," Leia replied, and then retraced her steps, angling toward the round table positioned in a small bay window adjacent to the open kitchen.

She sifted through the handful of half-empty shopping bags there to find the brandy, and then paused to shake out Han's purple scarf that was lying in a sodden heap beside the bags. She'd retrieved it from the ruins of the snowman, which had apparently become a sad casualty of the snowball wars that had erupted behind them as she and Han departed the field. As she draped the damp scarf over the back of one of the carved wooden chairs, she smiled bemusedly over the fact that the kits seemed to take as much pleasure in knocking the snowman down as they had in building it.

With the brandy in hand, Leia made her way back toward the kitchen. Han's attention was focused on the contents of the saucepan, so he murmured his thanks as she returned to stand at his side, but barely looked up from his task. "Open it up, and set it right over here," he directed with a nod, indicating an empty spot on the cook top in front of him.

Leia moved to comply and, as she leaned across the cook top to set the bottle down, caught the fresh, clean scent of him that mingled with the mouth-watering aroma of chocolate and spice arising from the steaming pot. The combination created a novel, heady and exotic fragrance that stirred her senses and sent another little jolt of awakening through her entire body. She struggled with herself for a moment, fighting off the powerful urge to drag Han away from the cook top, press him back against the counter and kiss him senseless.

"Everything alright, Sweetheart?" he asked, eyeing her with a quick sideways glance. "You've got a funny look on your face."

"Hmm? Yes, I'm fine." She willed herself to look away, feigning interest in the eclectic variety of ingredients laid out on the counter—catabar, Akivan chillies, sparklemint sticks and a large chunk of Trammistan chocolate, plus a number of other spices she didn't immediately recognize.

"Why don't you go sit down by the fire, put your feet up and relax? I'll bring this out when it's done."

Leia edged a little closer and leaned one forearm on the countertop as she peered at what he was doing. "I'd rather stay and watch. It looks...interesting."

"You're gonna love it," Han returned, and then snagged the brandy from the cook top. "Okay, time to add the good stuff."

While he worked, Leia's eyes roamed over his body once more. She couldn't seem to take her eyes off of him, captivated by the curve of his long fingers around the pot handle and the flex of his lean biceps as he moved, adoring the way his still-damp hair spiked up at every angle, as if he'd simply run a hand through it or hadn't bothered with it at all, beyond rumpling it with a dry towel. The tiny pulse of desire low in her core thumped a little harder as her eyes drank in his handsome features: his clean-shaven jaw, the generous curve of his lower lip, the tiny lines that creased his cheek and wrinkled the corner of his eye as he concentrated on his task. She allowed her gaze to drift downward, following the line of his throat down to the tempting hollow between his collarbones, just visible above the neckline of his t-shirt. Admiring the way the thin cloth stretched across his muscles as he worked, Leia had to curl her fingers around her thumbs to quell the impulse to touch.

Han added a splash of brandy, stirred and tasted the mix, and then added a bit more. " _Mmm,_ perfect," he said after a final taste, then turned off the heat and transferred the steaming saucepan to a hot pad on the counter, beside two tall white mugs rimmed with dark cacao powder. When he angled slightly and reached back toward the cook top to retrieve the spoon he'd left there, the movement offered Leia a tempting glimpse of skin, a narrow band of bare torso between the lower hem of his shirt and the waistband of his pants, and she could no longer resist. Reaching out, she slipped her fingers beneath the loose hem and skimmed her palm along the warm flesh beneath.

Han made a sound that was part amused chuckle and part low murmur of appreciation as he finished pouring a measure of the beverage into each of the two cups and then exchanged the saucepan for a pressurized container of sweet cream. Leia continued to stroke the small of his back lightly with her fingertips, smiling to herself as she saw his brow wrinkle with the effort of concentrating on his task. He decorated the top of each steaming mug with a liberal dollop of cream while Leia allowed her hand to stray a little lower, drifting from the smooth skin of his back over the edge of the cloth waistband and down to follow the firm curve of his ass, loving the feel of solid muscle under the soft fabric. Sneaking a glance around Han's tall frame, she watched him pick up the piece of chocolate and a hand grater, and start to shave wide spirals of fragrant chocolate atop the cream.

When she curved her fingers firmly around his backside and gave him a little squeeze, Han finally stopped what he was doing and cut his eyes at her. "Hey, watch your roamin' hands, lady," he warned with mock sternness. "I'm a married man."

Even though it wasn't _technically_ true, Leia couldn't contain the smile that beamed across her face at the sound of him saying those words. While being 'married' by their frosty officiant with a group of alien kits as witnesses had been an amusing bit of make-believe, Han's earlier indication that he wished to make that fantasy a reality had made Leia's heart leap and set her pulse racing a little faster. They'd been working their way toward that conversation for a few months now, ever since their reunion on Tatooine and their subsequent clearing of the air on Endor made it apparent that they were both still as much in love as they'd finally revealed to one another on the trip to Bespin. Not only had their mutual feelings not changed since then, they'd greatly deepened and grown stronger, and they were now more secure in each other than Leia had imagined they could ever be. In the days following their victory at Endor and in the aftermath of their first conversation about her biological connection to Darth Vader, she had come to the quiet realisation that marrying Han and spending the rest of her life with him was her primary personal objective; a private desire that she held more deeply than anything else on that level. Somehow, he had become her rock and her refuge when other aspects of her life—her role in the burgeoning new government, her newly discovered kinship with Vader, her apparent capacity for manipulating the mysterious Force—felt too enormous and overwhelming. In Han's company, she found solace and sanctuary, and she wanted more than anything to know for sure that he found the same haven in her.

Han had turned his attention back to his task while she was lost in reverie, but if the slight hitch in his breathing and the subtle shift in his stance to allow her to continue her tactile exploration unimpeded was any indication, he was quite content to let her maintain her present course. She obliged, tilting her head and angling her face to catch his eye.

"Are you _recently_ married?" she queried innocently, playfully keeping up the pretense he'd initiated. She kept her hand in slow, enticing motion on his bottom all the while, dipping a little lower to caress the firm muscle at the back of his upper thigh, and then grazing his inner thigh with a light stroke of her fingers, eliciting a shiver that Han tried—and failed—to mask. She watched him swallow hard before he managed a convincingly nonchalant nod.

"Yep. 'Bout three hours ago."

"So…" Leia mused aloud. "You must be on your honeymoon, then?" As she spoke, her fingers ghosted back up to the rounded curve of his ass once more, and she gave the taut muscle another slow, lingering caress.

Han chuffed a soft laugh as he stalwartly finished crafting his beverages, adding a length of sparklemint stick and a final dusting of catabar to each cup. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He picked up a nearby towel and wiped his hands.

"And aren't you supposed to...enjoy yourself on your honeymoon?" Leia suggested mildly.

In lieu of an answer, Han dropped the towel and slowly swivelled in her direction, allowing Leia's palm to maintain contact with his body as he turned. She started smiling as soon as she realized what he was doing. As he pivoted fully to face her, she allowed her fingertips to trail around his hip bone, and then dragged them deliberately downward, raising an amused eyebrow at the discernible reaction to her wandering caresses.

"Oh, you _are_ enjoying yourself," she intoned, trying to keep a straight face.

Han grunted his response and pressed a little closer, his eyes half-lidded as he lowered his head to hers. Leia met his kiss warmly, her fingertips still idly tracing the shape of him through the soft, thick fabric as she opened her mouth to the touch of his tongue. The kiss was molten, laden with all the pent-up heat they'd kept in check all day. Although they'd spent hours in each other's company, they'd been out in public and constrained by propriety to limit their displays of affection to hand-holding and the occasional kiss. Now that they were alone for the evening and tucked away from the rest of the world, they could indulge every desire. And what Leia desired most in that moment was to drag Han to the kitchen floor and have her way with him. Judging by the feel of him under her palm, she didn't think he would offer any objections to that plan.

But she forced herself to still the touch of her hand after a moment and then stretched up to wrap her arms around his neck as they continued to kiss, wanting to slow things down just a bit. He had taken such care to craft the 'Corellian Special' for her, she thought it would be a shame to let it grow cold and go to waste. And it wasn't as though there was any reason for them to rush to completion. They had all night, she reminded herself, and she rather enjoyed driving Han—and herself—a little crazy with lust. He wrapped his strong arms around her back and drew her tight against him as they continued to nibble and nip at each other's lips, smiling around their kisses and revelling in the pure pleasure of being alone together at last.

She lowered her arms and drew back a little as they parted, and then licked her lips, savouring the traces of minty chocolate there that had been imparted by his kiss. " _Mmm_ ," she hummed her approval, meeting his eyes with a bright smile. "That _is_ delicious. Can I have some more?"

Han moved to oblige, lifting one of the cups from the counter—but instead of handing it to her, he raised it to his own lips. Holding her gaze, he took a sip of the hot liquid before dipping his head down to Leia's once more. She couldn't help the giddy laughter that escaped her as his sweetened lips sought hers again. They shared a series of sticky kisses then, Han pausing periodically to take smiling sips of his drink, keeping his lips laced with warm chocolate and cream. They drained a good measure from Han's cup in that fashion, kissing each other into a state of near delirium before Han finally took a step back, released a gratified sigh, and offered Leia her own cup. Smiling so much her cheeks hurt, she accepted the steaming mug and watched as he passed a palm over the controls to dim the lights, and then turned to steer her with a hand on the small of her back toward the large picture window.

With the overhead lights now turned down low, the room was lit only by the twinkling lights of the festive tree and the faint golden flicker emanating from the fire, and it took a moment for Leia's vision to adjust. Gradually, though, the scene outside the wide window came into focus and it was all Leia could do not to gasp out loud. The snow had finally stopped falling, leaving every frond and twig etched in sparkling white. In the distance, the majestic snow-capped mountains were dimly reflected in the dark water of the lake below. All around the distant frosted shoreline, tiny flickers of cobalt blue and silver indicated the presence of the diminutive birds they'd glimpsed on the way to the village. The whole scene was brightly illuminated by the pale light of Zalari's three small moons, now descending along the meridian, all soon to disappear behind the rocky peaks. Cradling her warm mug in her hands, Leia leaned into Han and sighed with pleasure as he curved one long arm around her back and pulled her close. Sipping their drinks in contented silence, together they took in the spectacular view.

"See anything yet?" Han asked after a while.

They had been advised by a friendly shopkeeper in the village to keep their eyes on the skies because the aurora was known to make sporadic appearances at this time of year and it was reportedly a sight well worth seeing. The clouds had thinned and dispersed somewhat in the hours since they'd first set out for the village, and now the air was crystal clear, allowing the first tiny pinpricks of starlight to flicker into view. Leia smiled.

"Nothing but the stars," she replied.

She kept her eyes trained on the deep indigo vault above the lake, taking a mouthful of the richly spiced chocolate and savouring the feel of Han's warm body against her side. Han sipped his own drink and then cleared his throat.

"I don't mind if that's all we see," he said softly. "It's a view I never get tired of."

Leia craned her neck up to look at his face. "I noticed that, every time we were planetside on some base or on a mission."

"Noticed what?"

"No matter where we were, you always seemed to find a way to spend some time with the stars every evening. If I couldn't find you after sundown, chances were you were sitting on top of the _Falcon_ or outdoors somewhere, staring up at the night sky."

Han pondered over that observation for a moment and then gave a little shrug as he drained his mug. "I've always been like that," he acknowledged, tipping forward to set the cup on the low windowsill and then straightening to draw her against his side once more. "Even as a kid, all I ever wanted to do was fly. The idea of leaving everything behind, hitting open space and never looking back…." He angled a look down at her upturned face. "Let's just say it always had a strong appeal."

"And for good reason," Leia nodded thoughtfully, thinking of what Han had confided to her about his wretched childhood and the hellish years of his adolescence. "It's powerful, isn't it, the call of the stars?"

"There's nothing like it," Han agreed, absentmindedly stroking the curve of Leia's hip with one hand. "And I don't guess I'll ever get over it."

Leia lowered her gaze to her nearly-empty mug and absorbed that comment in silence, pondering over the implications. Han was an inveterate spacer; she knew that as surely as she knew the colour of his eyes. He wasn't the type to pick a pretty planet, find a friendly town, and build a cosy house. There was something restless and wild in his nature that precluded that, and the family ties and settled routine that bound most sentients to their planets of origin would never apply to him. And, despite his obvious aptitude and the success he'd found in his present military role, Leia knew that a long career in the New Republic navy was not his ultimate ambition. As soon as the war was over, she was fairly certain he would resign his commission and look for some other way to make a living—something that would keep him out there among the stars, where he felt most comfortable.

Still, there was no doubt in Leia's mind that he was signalling something significant to her now, something he'd been edging closer to articulating ever since his rescue from Jabba's palace. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she was inadvertently using the Force to sense his feelings; Luke had suggested more than once that he thought her talent for reading people was at least partly dependent upon that mysterious energy. She didn't like to think about that, though, and she quickly brushed the thought aside. She preferred to believe that her understanding of Han was rooted in long acquaintance and deep friendship. He trusted her completely, and he'd confided things to her that she knew he'd confided to no one else, not even Chewie. If he had something he wanted to say, he would say it; she felt confident about that now.

"The thing is," Han continued, as if he were the one reading her thoughts. "Things have changed. The pull is still there, and maybe it always will be. But the _push_ isn't."

"The push?" Leia echoed, quirking a curious eyebrow as she bent to set her mug on the sill beside Han's and then straightened once more. Turning to face him fully, she slipped her arms around his waist and tipped her head back to keep his face in view.

Han drew a deep breath and released it on a sigh as he wrapped both arms around her and met her gaze. "Ah, you know. The stuff that drove me off, made me desperate to escape. I don't feel that way anymore. Don't have the urge to keep moving all the time, like I did when I was a kid."

Leia made a small hum of acknowledgement, nodding her understanding.

"Never had anything worth sticking around for, Leia," he continued, reaching up to smooth a strand of hair away from her cheek. His eyes roamed her face as he ran a finger along her jaw. "'Til now."

Leia held his warm gaze as she stretched up to kiss him, feeling her heart swell with love and happiness as their lips met. He didn't need to say anything more. Whether it was the power of the Force within her, or simply her own close connection to Han, she could feel the waves of love rolling from him, washing over her and filling her with the warmest glow, even as his full lips moved slowly against her own. In his own way, he was making a declaration, Leia realized; she thought it only fair that she should do the same. They parted, and Leia flicked her eyes up to his once more.

"And if I decide to leave politics after all?" she whispered. "Would you be willing to bum around the galaxy with me for a while, until I figure out what I'm going to do with my life?"

"You bet I would," Han murmured.

Leia smiled at his fervent tone. They'd already had a few discussions, with each other and with Luke, about how the premature revelation of the twins' true paternity would almost certainly have a negative impact on the development of the New Republic, given their prominent positions within the Alliance. Leia hadn't yet reached a decision, but she was giving careful consideration to whether or not she wanted to continue in her role as a member of the Provisional Council after the war was finally over. If she wanted the fragile new government to succeed—and she wanted that with every fibre of her being—then she had to face the bitter fact that it was perhaps better off without her in it.

"What if I decide to take Luke up on his offer and try to figure out this...Jedi thing?" She squirmed inwardly, still a little uncomfortable with the topic of her Force sensitivity. "He mentioned relocating to Yavin Four to begin my training. You'd have to resign your commission if you wanted to come with me."

Han threw his head back and laughed, loosening his hold around her.

"What's so funny?"

" _You,_ " he chuckled, leaning down to press his forehead to hers, bringing them eyeball-to-eyeball. "You just spent the last few years trying to get me to join up, and now you're talking about—"

"Oh, shut up," Leia groused good-humouredly, tossing her head and pretending to resist his efforts to draw her closer once more. "I'm just speculating. It could be that none of this ever comes to anything. I just like to be prepared."

Han was still chuckling, but he sobered enough to press an affectionate kiss to her temple. "I know you do, Sweetheart. And wherever you go, _I go._ " He paused for a beat and then added, "As long as you want me with you."

"Of course I want you with me," Leia said with some heat, relaxing into his embrace once again. "It feels like I just got you _back_ and I can hardly stand to let you out of my sight; I'm certainly not going to go away for months without you."

"Luke might object to that."

"Well, Luke will just have to deal with it."

Han chewed on his lip. "You know, I might sit around making wisecracks about mumbo-jumbo if you start floating around and levitating things," he warned.

"Then the first thing I'll learn how to levitate is _you_."

They were both laughing softly again and drifting together for another kiss when a flicker of greenish light caught Leia's eye. She turned her face away from Han, who carried on with his plan regardless, nuzzling her ear and then nibbling his way down her neck. The touch of his lips on her skin sent a delicious shiver racing through Leia's body just as her gaze fell upon the sight of the burgeoning aurora. A luminous white glow had developed over the distant mountain peaks while they were talking, but it held a distinctly greenish cast that seemed to deepen and grow brighter even as Leia watched.

"Look," she breathed, gripping Han's shoulders to get his attention as his mouth continued to make its way down the length of her throat. She couldn't help the thrum of desire that pulsed through her at the sweep of his tongue on her bare collarbone; he'd nudged his way inside the neckline of her pyjama top and was now mindlessly devouring her skin, completely heedless of the spectacular display outside the window.

Leia's eyes fluttered closed as he shifted over and began slowly nibbling his way up the other side of her neck, his big hands tightening on her body as he nuzzled and kissed behind her ear. The aurora was lovely, to be sure, but Han's hot mouth was _divine_. She gave herself up to the pleasure of it, tilting her head to one side to give him better access, even as she ran her hands down his back and gripped his hips, pulling him against her.

"You're missing the show," she gasped, feeling the hard ridge of his erection jutting against her stomach, even through the layers of soft cloth that separated them. The state of his arousal came as a slight shock, given their lengthy conversational detour, although Leia wasn't about to complain. She was hungry for him, feeling starved of contact, though they'd been together all day.

Lifting his head, Han tossed a perfunctory glance at the shimmering curtain of sheer green that stretched and wavered above the mountaintops. The curving banner of light seemed to billow and subside in the dark sky like a luminous sheet in the wind, lending a surreal and ineffably beautiful quality to the landscape below.

"Nice," Han pronounced succinctly, and then dipped his head down to capture Leia's lips in another heated kiss.

The way he parted her lips with his tongue made Leia's whole body flood with warmth, and she found herself clutching at him just to remain on her feet. The flicker of lust that she had banked within herself a little earlier now flared to life again full-force as Han's tongue stroked slowly and sensuously against hers. His obvious passion for her was a heady drug; it made her feel powerful, wanton and wild—instantaneously and utterly overcome with desire. With a gasp, she broke away from him but caught his hand in hers and pulled him with her, leading him away from the window and toward the fire. When they reached the sofa, she pushed him down, planting first one knee and then the other to either side of his hips, straddling him as she took his head in her hands and descended upon him with another fiery kiss.

Han responded with a low growl and wrapped his arms around her body as she sank down onto his lap. They shared a sigh of mutual pleasure as their bodies made intimate contact and their hungry kisses intensified. Leia couldn't help grinding against him a little; his solid erection felt magnificent between her legs and she found her hips moving of their own accord, gliding slowly back and forth in his lap as she continued to kiss him for all she was worth. When he ran his hands under her loose fleece top, she broke the kiss and breathlessly reached for the hem of the garment, stripping it off over her head in one swift move, feeling impatient for his touch on her skin. Han's hands and mouth were upon her again even before she dropped the top to the floor, his lips seeking the flesh of first one bare breast and then the other as his large hands roamed her body, squeezing and stroking Leia into a state of arousal so intense it made her head swim.

Bracing an arm across her back, Han reached up to cup one breast in his palm, and then lowered his head to draw the taut nipple into his mouth. Leia moaned and arched against him, letting her head drop back and her eyes fall closed as she concentrated on the exquisite sensations. His tongue was wet and warm and _oh_ so soft, curling deliciously around her pebbled flesh over and over again, even as he closed his full lips around the tip and applied light suction. As he continued to lick and suck gently at one breast, he used his free hand to caress and softly massage the other, until Leia finally cried out with the pure, overwhelming pleasure of it. He released her then, but immediately shifted to the other side, taking the other hard nipple into his mouth and giving it the same loving attention. The combination of his lips and tongue on her breasts, the feel of his strong hands on her body and the hard bulge of his erection pressing against her core was enough to send Leia into a state of gasping, moaning oblivion. Although his passion for her was fierce, he was always tender when he touched her. Even when he was rough—and she liked that, too, on occasion—his every caress was imbued with the love and respect he held for her, sentiments she could easily read in his touch and in his adoring gaze, no Force-sensitivity required.

Desperate for more of him, she reached down and found the hem of his shirt and then, with his help, tugged it off over his head and tossed it away. She paused for a moment, panting lightly and feasting her eyes. He had a beautiful body, lean and tautly muscled, with a light pattern of hair across his broad pectorals that arrowed down the centre of his abdomen, darkening as it disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants. Leia couldn't resist touching him; in the flickering firelight, his skin was tinged with warm gold, a deeper shade of his natural colour. She'd once believed his perpetual tan to be the result of continual exposure to so many suns and that supposition had stood until the first time she'd seen him in the nude. He'd been gravely injured at the time, and she'd been too busy trying to save his life to ponder over the finer qualities of his physique, but for a long time after that, once he was safe and sound, she'd been haunted by the fleeting vision of his naked form—and by the curious fact that he seemed to be the same colour all over. Unless he'd been secretly indulging in nude sunbathing atop the _Falcon_ every time they were planetside, she'd mused, it was just his natural skin tone. Subsequently, that tantalizing fact had featured in her private fantasies more times than she cared to admit.

But there was no need to fantasize now. He was here before her, bare-chested and breathing hard, and watching her closely with lust-darkened eyes. When her gaze finally met his once more, he broke into a broad smile that crinkled up his handsome face and showed a flash of even white teeth. He was nowhere near as vain about his appearance as he sometimes pretended to be, but there was no denying that he enjoyed Leia's sincere appreciation of his body. Smiling back, she leaned in and took his lips in a searing kiss, running her hands down his bare torso as she slowly stroked his tongue with her own. He groaned into her mouth and dropped his hands down to her hips, guiding her slow, rhythmic movements against his erection as they tenderly devoured one another. The room was filled with the sounds of their mingled moans and heavy breathing, murmured encouragements and breathless entreaties that drowned out the crackling of the fire and the faint strains of music that still drifted through the air.

Leia's lips finally left Han's mouth and travelled along his jaw line, adoring the rasp of his stubble against her skin. When she reached his ear and then drew the fleshy lobe between her lips, she felt him tense; the soft scrape of her teeth and the sweep of her tongue made him shudder, and she felt him lift his hips, jutting hard between her legs. She shifted her own hips back a little and then reached between them, wrapping her hand around his straining length through the loose fabric of his pants, and tracing his thick contours with her fingertips. He gasped her name and tightened his grip on the back of her thighs as she rubbed him through the cloth. Emboldened by his ardent response, she then delved beneath his waistband and caressed his bare skin with a light touch. He felt so _good_ ; rock hard, and yet soft and warm as velvet. She delighted in his strangled groans and the upward press of his hips as he sought to meet each slow caress.

She withdrew her hand after a moment, chuckling to herself when she heard Han's suffering sigh. Despite their relatively short sexual history together, she'd already learned a few things about how to make him plead with her for completion, and there was nothing she enjoyed more than driving him half-demented with desire. Still smiling, she began kissing her way down his neck to his chest, teasing him with her tongue and lips in much the same way as he'd just done to her. When she could go no further down his torso without bending herself in half, she slid backwards off his lap and took up a kneeling position in front of him, feeling the warmth of the fire against the bare skin of her back. Han's eyes were upon her, feverish with want and avidly watching her every move. Holding his gaze, Leia reached forward and curled her fingers into the waistband of his sleep pants, then tugged them downward as Han lifted his hips to help. She was delighted to find him completely bare underneath, and sat back on her heels for a moment after she'd peeled the garment away, humming her appreciation at the sight of him—gloriously naked and as golden-skinned there as he was everywhere else. She couldn't resist touching him immediately, running her hands up the length of his thighs before reaching to wrap one hand around his rigid length to give him a slow, teasing stroke.

Han made a sound low in his throat, and Leia flicked her eyes up to meet his gaze, finding his half-lidded eyes locked on her and glinting with hungry desire. Settling on her knees between his thighs once more, she kept her hand in motion as she dipped her head low, bypassing the obvious target to trace the tip of her tongue around the indent of his navel instead, making his stomach muscles jump. Hearing his hoarse gasp above her, she shot him a wicked smile, and then returned to her task, dragging the tip of her tongue along the thin line of coarse hair that led downwards as she continued stroking him with her hand, pausing to pepper his skin with warm, open-mouthed kisses as she worked her way down. Han's long fingers threaded through her loosely bound hair as he urged her on with soft words and faint moans, mindlessly lifting his hips a little in counterpoint to each firm stroke. Working him into a state of frenzied delirium like this was still a novel experience for Leia, but one she thoroughly relished; every tortured sound that escaped his lips amplified her own hunger for him tenfold, pooling liquid heat in her core and making her feel lightheaded, pulsing all over with desire. But she wasn't quite ready to end his delicious torment, or hers; not just yet.

Slowly, she stroked with her hand as she leaned in and brought him closer to her lips, then paused to swirl her tongue around the broad head of his straining erection, feeling him harden and twitch in her grasp as he arched to meet every touch on his sensitive flesh. Savouring the salt tang of him on her tongue, she flicked her eyes upward once more and met his gaze, holding him in abeyance and teasing him with the warm rush of her breath until finally she parted her lips and took him deeply into her warm, wet mouth. Han's hands dropped away then, falling limply to either side of his body as he released a heavy groan and gave himself up to her loving ministrations. Leia took careful note of his every reaction as she attended to him, lingering for a while in her attentions whenever she observed a particularly keen response. As she kept up the rhythmic movements of her hand, lips and tongue, she brought her other hand into play, delving lower between his thighs to cup and gently stroke the rounded contours there, trailing her fingertips across the thin skin with a light and teasing touch. Sliding her fingers lower still, she traced the silken softness of the skin beneath, thoroughly enjoying the way it made Han's whole body tighten and his eyes roll back in his head.

It didn't take long for the combination of pressure and friction to drive him close to the brink. But, as gratifying as it would have been to send him tumbling helplessly over the precipice in record time, Leia had been fantasizing about the feel of him inside her all day, and she wasn't prepared to deny herself that pleasure. Gradually drawing her tender movements to a halt, she then withdrew, imparting a farewell kiss upon the erstwhile object of her attentions before she climbed to her feet.

Gazing down at his sprawled supine form, she silently congratulated herself on the results of her efforts. With his wildly tousled hair, glazed eyes, and slack jaw, he looked exactly as she'd hoped he would look—like a man who had been taken to the limit and still hungered for more.

Leia smirked affectionately at his dazed expression, and then couldn't suppress a laugh when he visibly perked up at the sight of her shimmying off her own pyjama bottoms and kicking them to one side. Unlike Han, though, she wasn't bare beneath her sleepwear. Hooking her thumbs in the narrow band of her cotton briefs, she had barely begun to slide them down when Han sat up, pulled her by the hips, and pressed a heated kiss to the skin of her abdomen. Then, holding her steady with splayed hands on back and bottom, he turned his fevered attention to her body once more. Leia let him take over, resting her hands lightly on his shoulders and watching breathlessly as he rained loving attention on first one bare breast and then the other. The sight of him drawing her pert nipple between his lips was second only to the exquisite pleasure of his hot tongue swirling around the rigid flesh, and when he moved to attend to the other side, Leia couldn't help but slide her fingers through his hair, clutching him close and humming with pleasure. When he released her and began kissing his way down her abdomen, Leia heaved a sigh every bit as deep as the one she'd drawn from him earlier, dimly reflecting with some amusement that he knew as well as she did how to extend pleasure and elicit a whispered plea. He moved lower still, his tongue swirling once around her navel, before his warm lips began traversing down the sensitive skin of her belly. Every soft caress, imbued with love and tender devotion, sent a sparkle of sensation radiating outward all over Leia's body, tiny frissons of electricity that made her arch and tremble under his bracing hands.

When his mouth meandered southward, she decided it was a good thing he had such a strong grip on her body, because the sight and sensation of him hunched over and nuzzling between her thighs made her feel lightheaded, and her knees actually threatened to buckle when she felt the graze of his teeth through the thin cotton. She clutched at his shoulders for balance, her legs feeling shaky as he caught his fingers in her underwear and dragged the fabric down. He didn't bother removing the garment entirely, though; as soon as the scrap of fabric was out of the way, pushed to mid-thigh, he drew back a little and slipped one hand between her legs—and then she really _did_ swoon, overcome with the pleasure of his expert touch. He moved slowly and with tender care, gently exploring between her thighs, and then grinning up at her when he found her already slick against his fingers. She smiled back and then gasped as he nudged his hand a little further, the rough pad of his fingertips brushing against her swollen sex. He knew exactly how and when to touch her to elicit the strongest reaction, so it was deliciously frustrating—but no surprise—when he bypassed her most sensitive spot to delve a little deeper. She lost the capacity for anything more articulate than an animal groan when he slipped one finger deep inside, coaxing a gasp from her lips at the surge of delicious sensation. He chuckled and repeated the leisurely motion, before bringing his broad thumb to bear where she needed it most. Pressing a kiss to one breast, he secured her a little closer to him with one arm and then settled to his task. The thrill of pleasuring him had worked Leia into a frenzy of her own and his deft touch quickly had her tense and hovering on the cusp of release, her fingers tangling in his hair. Employing a complex pattern of rhythmic touch and strategic withdrawal, and adding the occasional swipe of his tongue around the tip of her moving breast, Han drew her tighter and tighter, finally bringing her trembling and panting right to the edge, her head dropped back in the throes of ecstasy. But just when she felt herself beginning to unravel, when the ache deep inside her felt on the verge of blooming into sweet release, he pulled away, withdrawing the exquisite friction of his fingers and leaving Leia half-crazed with an urgent need that coiled tense and hot in her belly.

Chuckling at her frustrated moan, Han hitched back on the sofa and tugged at her hips to pull her close. Finally yielding to the urges that she could no longer hold at bay, Leia shoved her cotton briefs the rest of the way down and swept them aside with her foot, and then moved to straddle his hips once more. As she settled her weight across his lap, she reached a hand back to loosen the binding of her hair, delighting in the slow unfurling of the smile that spread across Han's face as the heavy locks tumbled around her shoulders.

"Ah, Leia," he murmured with tender reverence, reaching to draw his fingertips through her long tresses. "Sure feels like a dream sometimes."

Leia smiled. "A good one?"

He lifted his eyes to hers. "Fan-fucking-tastic, Sweetheart. Hope I never wake up."

"You know the best part?" Leia queried softly. She held his gaze as she leaned in close and lowered her voice to a whisper. _"It's not a dream."_

Capturing his mouth with hers, she tasted rich chocolate and exotic spice, and something uniquely _Han_ that melded into an intoxicating combination, drawing a deep sigh of longing from her lips as they parted. They shared a lingering look as Leia rose up slightly on her knees astride his lap. Then, reaching between her legs to wrap a hand around his rigid length, she guided him carefully to her centre. For a long moment, she simply savoured the slick sensation of him, slipping warm and hard against her most sensitive flesh, and then she sank slowly down, taking him inside. They moaned in tandem, and Leia felt herself trembling inwardly at the exquisite feeling of heat and fullness easing deep into her core.

"Sweetheart, sweetheart," Han sighed, dropping his head back to the sofa and keeping his remarkable eyes fixed on her face. He cracked a crooked grin. "How the hell did a guy like me get a girl like you?"

"Must be that famous Solo luck, I guess," she smirked, undulating her hips against him once, very slowly, as her body adjusted to his presence inside her. "And I think it's rubbing off on me already."

"Oh yeah? We've only been 'married' about four hours," he joked.

"I know," Leia gasped, as she began moving her hips again, settling them into a deep and rolling rhythm. She relished the slick sensation of him hard inside her, a pleasure made all the more intense by the way he was looking at her now, an open expression of adoration on his handsome features. "But I feel so lucky right now."

Han grinned. "Gonna get luckier in a minute," he promised with a wink.

Leia threw her head back and laughed, briefly interrupting her tempo. Han took the opportunity to take the lead, drawing his legs up, planting his feet and then gripping her hips to steady her as she righted herself atop him once more. Splaying her hands against his chest for balance, she began to move in counterpoint to the slow upthrusting of his hips as they gazed, still faintly smiling, into each other's eyes. They moved together in an easy rhythm for a while, delighting in the deep intimacy and pure pleasure of the moment.

Leia was already so close, her body so ready for release, it didn't take long for Han to get her there. Murmuring breathless words of encouragement in Corellian, Basic, and a few other languages Leia couldn't comprehend, he skimmed his hands down the length of her spine and encircled her waist to guide the angle of her movements as he continued to drive his hips upward in a series of shallow but powerful thrusts. The slightly different slant in approach brought him into contact with a place deep inside Leia's body that made her tremble and moan with every stroke, her splayed fingertips on his chest barely maintaining her precarious balance. When he dropped a hand between her legs and added the deft touch of his thumb to the equation, she felt her whole body tighten like a wire and began moving astride him with increasing urgency. The delicious feeling of fullness and friction, coupled with the low rumbling of his voice urging her on, sent her careening toward the brink, her hands now gripping his shoulders like a pair of vices. Winding tighter and tighter, she focused all of her attention on the place where they were joined, relishing the power and heat of his body moving relentlessly between her thighs—

And then suddenly she was _there;_ teetering on the exquisite edge in one breath, and tumbling recklessly over it in the next, finally plunging down into sweet oblivion as hot waves of intense pleasure rolled through her core. Her trembling arms wouldn't hold her up any longer, and she collapsed onto Han's chest for a moment, gasping and awash with lingering sensation, her core muscles clenching around him as he continued to move inside her with long, slow strokes. Still caught in the lingering aftershocks of her own release, she clung to him as he tightened his arms around her back and buried his face in her hair, his hips driving upward with increasing speed as he sought his own release. Sensing his urgent need, Leia roused herself and resumed the undulation of her own hips, soon matching his pace and whispering the sort of erotic encouragement that she knew he liked to hear. She gazed down at him in adoration, loving the look of pure bliss on his face as she used her body to bring him the same sweet pleasure he'd just brought to her. When she heard his breath catch, and felt his body tense and rise, she knew he was close; when he arched his neck against the sofa and started to moan her name, she knew he was there. He surged hard inside her, fingers gripping the flesh of her hips in helpless entreaty as he pulled her to him over and over—until finally he broke, his release washing over him in a shuddering rush that tore a rough groan from his throat and sent his eyes drifting back in his head.

Breathless and feeling deliciously spent, Leia leaned forward, lowering herself slowly until she came to rest against Han's chest, then closed her eyes and smiled as he wrapped his strong arms around her back once more. They lay like that for a long time, letting their bodies recover and their laboured breathing gradually return to normal. At length, Leia lifted her head and propped herself up so that she could look down at her handsome 'husband', realising as she did so that _husband_ was precisely what he was to her—no ceremony or official proclamation required. He was her bond-mate for life and the person she loved and trusted most in all the galaxy. She stared at him until he opened his eyes, and then couldn't help but match the beatific smile that slowly unfurled across his handsome face.

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	6. As we dream by the fire

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 **Part 6: As we dream by the fire….**

Han stretched out on the comfortable sofa with his bare ankles crossed and one arm tucked behind his head, absently staring into the fire as he waited for Leia to return. He'd stoked the blaze high after she disappeared to the fresher, and it was once again crackling merrily, filling the cosy room with a golden, flickering glow. He was in a pleasant sort of stupor, feeling deliciously drained and utterly relaxed as he pondered over his own good fortune and gazed, mesmerised, into the dancing flames.

His primary ambition in stealing away with Leia had been to enjoy some time alone with her, and to see her truly relaxed and carefree, if only for a little while. The weight of her responsibilities and the burden of her unhappy familial secret were two elements that never left her, and probably never would. He knew in his gut, though, that it wasn't good for her to dwell too long in either of those mental states—weary and distressed—without a break. He had been in need of some time off, too. Still reeling from the whirlwind of events that had followed his release from carbonite and his rescue from Tatooine, it was only within the last month or so that he'd begun to feel that his body had fully recovered. It was certainly nice to have a few days to breathe, sleep, and recoup. The boon he hadn't seen coming, though, was how time spent alone together, free of obligations and the near-continuous demands of duty, could bring such clarity and closeness to their relationship. Although he hadn't anticipated that things between them would develop so far and so fast, he wasn't complaining; he'd never been more sure of anything in his life. He smiled to himself, thinking of the thoroughly enjoyable day they'd spent together so far, and how many more there were still to come.

The quiet snick of the bedroom door opening alerted him to Leia's return, and he lifted his head and craned his neck around to watch her approach. She'd disappeared to go to the fresher without bothering to get dressed first and, to his delight, she was still in the nude as she passed between him and the fire. The sight of her lithe figure made his heart thump hard and sent his pulse beating a little faster, even despite his thoroughly satiated condition. She was so pretty, and seeing her so perfectly comfortable walking around in front of him without a stitch on was deeply satisfying, fulfilling some essential need within him that he'd scarcely acknowledged, let alone examined. Whatever it was, it felt good. She hadn't put her hair up, he noted with approval. It swung around her like a silken curtain as she dipped down to retrieve her discarded underwear from the floor and started pulling them on.

Han sat upright and frowned. "Hey, hang on a minute, Princess," he said, shooting her a mock scowl. "What's your hurry?"

"I'm starting to get cold," Leia replied, picking up her pyjama bottoms and shaking them out.

Reaching out, Han snagged the garment from her grasp, and then caught her hand and tugged her gently toward him as he dropped the unwanted clothing to the floor. "C'mere, then. I'll keep you warm."

With an indulgent smile, Leia complied. Wearing nothing but her Alliance-issued skivvies, she swept her hair over one shoulder, dropped down and settled onto the sofa beside him, tucking her knees up and curling her body into his as he reached for one of the cabin's ubiquitous woven throws and dragged it across them both. They sat, cuddled together in comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the crackling fire and watching the flames leap and dance in the open hearth.

"I've been thinking," Han said at length.

Leia's dark head stirred against him. "About what?" she murmured.

"Married life." He paused, and then angled a look down at her. "It ain't so bad, is it?"

Leia laughed quietly and craned her neck up to look at him. "I'm not complaining."

"So far, so good, anyway," he smiled, and then his expression grew more solemn. He was about to try and put something into words that had been building up in his heart for years, and he wanted to do it right. "The truth is...I don't need it." He winced, seeing Leia's eyes widen perceptibly, and then hastened to clarify. "What I mean is, I don't need someone _else_ to say words over us in public, or tell me what I already know." He chewed on his lip for a minute, choosing his next words with care. "All I'm trying to say, Leia, is that I've been 'married' to you for a long time. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. And if you want to...well, I'd like to make it official."

He held his breath, tightening his arm around her, trying to add the weight to his words that only his touch could convey. When Leia tipped her face up to his, he saw that her dark eyes were bright with unshed tears. She had never been one to cry easily, and there was something about the shine in those deep brown depths that made Han's throat tighten. He could see by her expression that his heartfelt words had hit home, and he finally released the breath he'd been holding, and gave her a faint smile. She searched his face for a long moment before stretching up to meet his lips in a lingering kiss.

When they finally parted, Han drew back and met her gaze, holding it with a questioning look. "What about you, Princess? Think you could stand to have me around that long? If we can work out the logistics?"

Leia gazed up at him, her expression soft and sincere, and lifted a hand to stroke her fingertips across his cheek. "There's no 'if' about it, for me, Han," she said quietly. "I love you. This is what I want, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it work."

Han stared at her, feeling his face flush hot and his mouth go dry, and then one corner of his lips tipped up in a lopsided smile. "Well, then…what are we waiting for? We can go back into the village tomorrow and find Joro's mother the magistrate…."

Leia gave a low, affectionate laugh and reached to smooth his hair back from his temple. "We could do that, if you want. But…."

"But what?"

Leia hesitated a beat. "It's just that...well, I'd really like for Luke and Chewie to be with us when we take that step. They're our family, after all."

Han nodded sagely. "Plus, Chewie might pull my arm off and beat me with it if we elope."

Leia snorted a laugh. "It's not wise to upset a Wookiee," she intoned, mimicking Han's oft-repeated phrase. "Have you already discussed this with him, then? Does he know what you've been thinking?"

Han gave her a meaningful tilt of his head. "Chewie's been _way_ ahead of us all along. You know that."

Leia nodded, her expression a little rueful.

"And no, I haven't talked to him about it," Han continued. "Not in so many words. But I know he'd be upset if he thought he was gonna miss out on a party."

He felt Leia tense slightly under his arm, though she didn't speak.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" Han queried, looking down at her pensive face. "Something wrong?"

"No," Leia said hesitantly. "It's just that there's something else we should probably discuss, while we're speaking of parties."

"Okay," Han said guardedly. "Go ahead."

"Well, an occasion like this...with people like us...it's bound to be big news," Leia began. "It's not something we'll be able to keep quiet."

"I don't want to keep it quiet, Sweetheart. I want to celebrate it."

"Yes, well, that's what has me thinking. I don't think we'll get away with having a private ceremony and nothing else. Considering our prominence in the public eye at this point, and my position in particular..." Her voice trailed off and she bit her lip, looking mildly regretful.

"So, you're saying we're gonna have to have a big _fancy_ party, instead of a quiet little shindig on Kashyyyk. Does that mean I'm gonna have to let Lando pick out my clothes? Ah hell…."

"Worse than that, I'm afraid," Leia smiled. "You know what the galactic gossip mongers are like already, with the whole 'princess and the general' fairytale nonsense. They'll be all over us, which means we'll be all over the news..."

"I can handle that," Han said, and then amended, "I'm _willing_ to handle it, Leia. Small price to pay if it means we're together for sure, no questions."

"For sure," Leia echoed, smiling. "No questions. But I was thinking perhaps we could have our quiet little 'shindig' on Kashyyyk first. We can be married in a private ceremony. Just you and me, with Luke and Chewie, and the Wookiees as witnesses. Then we can go through all of the public ceremonies a bit later."

"Sounds good," Han concurred, and then brightened a little as a new thought occurred to him. "Just think, Sweetheart, when we do it for real, we get another 'honeymoon', right? We could go to Spira and laze around on the beach, or hit the Uphelia Fire Festival on Larwock. I hear that's a pretty good time."

Leia mused over those suggestions. "Or we could come back here, in time for Lunasa." She looked up at him with such a hopeful expression, he couldn't help but smile.

"Sure, Sweetheart. Whatever you want." He nodded his acquiescence and then added, "I'm glad you like it here."

"I love it," Leia said, resting her head on his shoulder. "We've made some good memories here already."

Han sighed with contentment and turned his gaze back to the flickering fire, absently stroking Leia's bare thigh under the blanket as he pondered over their future together.

"So, that's our time frame," he ventured after a long moment. "We'll get married in private on Kashyyyk, and then have the big public ceremony around this time next year, just before Lunasa, so we can come back here for our official honeymoon?"

"Yes." Leia curled her arm around his bare waist and burrowed into his side under the sheltering blanket. "I think that's a perfect plan."

"Okay, Sweetheart," Han pressed a kiss into her hair and laid his cheek atop her dark head. "Sounds good to me."

-:¦:-:¦:-:¦:-

 **A/N:** This isn't quite how we originally imagined this scene (or planned to write it), but we've always leaned away from the idea of a formal proposal of marriage by either Han or Leia, being more in favour of a gradual "understanding" developing between them that it's what they both want. We're also cheating a little by devising a way in which we can give them several celebrations, private and public, and multiple honeymoons. Hah!


	7. To face unafraid the plans that we made

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 **Epilogue: To face unafraid the plans that we made**

With a clipped command and a gentle tug on the reins, Ermau pulled the pair of equine creatures to a jingling halt in front of the lakeside cabin and then hopped down from the sled, landing lightly on the pads of his feet on the frosty ground below. Although it was still cold enough for his breath to mist in the morning air, the day was mild by Zalari standards. The warming rays of the sun beamed down from a clear blue sky, reflecting off the light layer of snow that had fallen overnight to turn the landscape to shimmering silver, and making his first trip of the day a very beautiful one indeed.

He tugged down the hem of his short jacket and gave each of the creatures an affectionate pat on its angular nose as he rounded the front of the sled, glancing up to see his human passengers waiting on the steps of the cabin's wide wooden porch. Upon seeing them, the Zalarian stopped, swept his hat from his head, and bowed low in a formal greeting.

"We meet again, my friends," he called, securing his hat between his ears as he continued to cover the short distance between the sled and the cabin. The tall male stood with his arm draped around the female's shoulders, and with her small frame tucked into his side, the couple radiated such an easy, relaxed air that Ermau couldn't help but smile. "You look well, and rested. I trust you have enjoyed your stay?"

The female returned his friendly smile as he approached. "We've had a wonderful time," she said, and then cut her gaze upwards, sharing a meaningful look with her companion.

"It's been great," the male concurred. "Just what we needed." He shifted his stance and faced the Zalarian with a smile of his own. "But I guess it's time to go."

Ermau twitched his whiskered nose and nodded, pausing at the foot of the stairs and gesturing for the couple to advance. "Then come, and make yourselves comfortable for the journey," he invited, stepping to the side to allow them to pass. "I will attend to your bags, and we shall be on our way."

By the time he had retrieved the bags from the cabin and secured the last one in the rack beneath the sleigh, the pair had settled themselves on the passenger seat, and sat nestled together under a heavy woollen blanket. As he passed by the side of the sleigh and hitched himself up into the driver's seat, Ermau could hear snippets of their quiet conversation; reflection on the last few days, talk of plans and of the future. He smiled as he took up the reins and clicked a soft command to the equines, urging them at a slow walk out into the lane. He wasn't at all surprised by the discussion taking place in the back of his sled. This was part of the magic of Lunasa; perhaps it was the incredible beauty of the converging moons that imparted a sense of perspective, or the sheer grandeur of it all that offered visitors a glimpse of insight into their place in the galaxy. Whatever the reason, the result was the same—those who witnessed it invariably left Zalari changed; filled with renewed energy, hope and optimism.

The passengers' low voices were muffled by the merry sound of the harness bells as the equines angled their noses toward the lane, and the sleigh picked up speed. In truth, the clever creatures knew their way by rote; all Ermau had to do was control their speed, and see to the comfort of his guests. He turned to look over his shoulder, keen to draw the couple's attention to the points of interest that they wouldn't have seen during their first journey, shrouded as they had been in the deepening shadows of twilight upon their arrival. But he quickly bridled his tongue. Just as they had been during the outbound journey, the female was burrowed into her companion's sheltering embrace and their faces were tilted toward each other, so close that their breaths mingled and rose as one in the frosty morning air. They were laughing softly and exchanging playful kisses, and it was clear that they had eyes only for each other.

Ermau didn't profess to have an inkling of Force sense, but neither did he need it—it was plain to see that his two passengers were deeply bonded in their love for one another. And with a return to their everyday lives just around the corner, they deserved to spend their last moments here just as they were. He smiled contentedly, and settled back to watch the stunning scenery go by.

They had only been travelling for a few minutes more when he noticed a flicker of cobalt blue and silver darting across the laneway up ahead, then another, and another. It caught the attention of the humans, too; he heard the rustle of movement behind him, and then the female leaned forward, gripping the low divider that separated them.

"What are those tiny birds, Ermau?" she asked. "They're beautiful. We've been catching glimpses of them since the day we arrived."

Surprised, Ermau craned his head around to look at his passengers with a spark of interest. "Since the day you _arrived_?" he echoed.

"Yes," she replied, sounding somewhat hesitant in the face of his incredulous response. "And every day since, more and more until the day of the convergence, when they seemed to be everywhere."

Ermau pulled back gently on the reins, slowing the equines from a trot to a walk while he pondered the significance of this revelation. "Before the day of convergence?" he asked over his shoulder. "You're certain of that?"

"Absolutely," the male replied. "Just a few hours after we got here, in fact."

Ermau reflected thoughtfully on that information; it was most unexpected. What the humans were describing was the stuff of Zalari folklore. In all of his many years, he had only come across a handful of his own species who claimed to have witnessed the extraordinary sight first-hand. He had never heard of such an event happening to an off-worlder—let alone _two_. He pulled the team to a complete halt, and then turned around fully to face his passengers and laughed in slightly awestruck delight. "Oh, my friends," he said, unable to contain his glee. "That is a rare and most auspicious sign."

He watched the pair exchange curious glances, and then the female turned her gaze back to him with a look of mild confusion. "I don't understand," she said. "Seeing them is...unusual?"

"They are a creature indigenous to this continent, yet sightings of them are exceedingly uncommon, even for us," he explained. "Their true name cannot be translated to Basic. We call them Moonbirds, for the benefit of off-worlders. They reveal themselves to one and all on convergence day and for a few days afterwards, but seeing them before...that is considered most propitious, indeed."

"Oh yeah?" the male queried. "How so?"

"According to legend, seeing them before the convergence foretells good fortune for the coming year. And for them to appear to you _both_ , at the same time…" He trailed off with an incredulous shake of his head. "Well, that is the rarest thing of all. Quite remarkable."

"What does it mean?" the female asked.

He cast a solemn glance from one to the other. "There are variations in the lore, of course. Some believe it bodes of happiness and longevity; others say it portends the advent of wealth and success. But most simply believe that Moonbirds appear before Lunasa only to those whose hearts are bound together in perfect harmony, to bestow an abundance of blessings upon them for the year to come."

The couple turned to one another and locked gazes, smiling, though neither made a sound. Ermau twitched his whiskered nose and bared his teeth in a wide grin as he swivelled around in his seat once more, leaving the pair to continue their wordless conversation.

"The fortunes have smiled upon you both. Good things lie ahead for you, my friends," he said brightly. "Very good things."

As his passengers settled back in the seat and nestled into each other's arms, Ermau turned his attention back to the road ahead. He gave the equines a light flick of the reins to start them moving toward their destination, the jingle of their harnesses filling the cold winter air with the festive sound of bells once more.

 **The End**

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End file.
